Convergent
by KisakiDiamond
Summary: We both jumped onto the closest rooftop that looked safe, trying to catch our breath. "That was the worst akuma we've had in a long time m'Lady." My chuckle was interrupted by the shrill beeping of both of our miraculous. Her bluebell eyes locked with mine wide and panicking. There wasn't enough time to get home. "Sit with your back to me, quick! You can't look, promise me Chat."
1. Chapter 1

Thank you for your interest in this story! It was originally inspired by the scene in the description but that wont happen for a few chapters! There is definitely a reason why this story was rated M, but it wont be filled with plotless smut either. I currently don't have an editor so please let me know if there's anything I missed!

I do not own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir or any of it's characters.

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Steam clouded around him as the warm water washed over his body. He felt each of his muscles relax as the day's tension wore off. As a sigh of relief escaped him, Adrien leaned against the tiled wall with his eyes closed relishing in the feeling. Showers were always his little slice of heaven of being alone from the world, including Plagg's nagging. Well that, and when he was transformed of course because Plagg couldn't be _present_ but anyways…

He turned the tap off and stepped out slowly, wrapping a towel around him after rubbing his hair slightly dry and stared at himself in the mirror. He was about to go out for tonight's patrol and he couldn't help remembering when he started being Chat, as it was quickly approaching the anniversary once again. As happy as he was for having Plagg and the opportunity to be Chat in his life, the passing of five years couldn't help but bring a morose taste to his mouth.

He squinted at the Adrien in the mirror as he roughed his hair into its basic style, not bothering to dry it. He definitely looked a bit different from when he first started, his face losing its baby look and was replaced with strong lines that only gained him more admirers from his modeling career. He wondered if his lady could see much differences in him while he was under the mask...

"What's taking you so long? We're going to be late...again." Plagg phased in through his bathroom door with a whine.

"Plagg! What have I told you about-"

"Yeah yeah 'no bursting into the bathroom because you need privacy' blah blah. I need to make sure you give me some camembert before we leave- I'm starving." Adrien walked into his bedroom and started pulling on his go-to sweatpants and a white short sleeved shirt.

"We literally ate dinner less than two hours ago Plagg."

"That feels like eternity to a God I swear." He was tossed a small wedge of cheese with a large eye roll from his wielder.

"Alright, it's time. Claws out!"

He was halfway out of his window before he fully transformed. As he jumped over rooftops, he tired again to put into words how the transformation felt. It was one of his favorite feelings in the world. It was like… like a warm buzz of electricity across his skin, but... it's just not understandable unless a person actually felt it themselves.

His suit which felt like a second skin protected him from getting injured, numbed most of his feeling. Weather it be a pat on the back turning into just pressure, or the temperature being regulated for him depending on the season, the magic of the suit always amazed him. He was mystified by the fact he could feel the wind caress his skin as he ran or whenever he touched his partner but he surmised it was the magic of the suit knowing he _wanted_ and liked to feel those things. Plagg wasn't very forthcoming on answers either, stating it was safer that he didn't know the inner workings of the suit.

He landed softly next to a woman in red with shoulder length ponytails. Her back was to him looking out into the city, and she didn't turn when he landed. He hooked an arm through hers and started walking them across the rooftop.

"Good evening m'Lady, care for a stroll on this lovely Parisian night?" She clicked her tongue but continued to walk with him.

"You're late Kitty. Again." She smirked as he brought his hand that wasn't linked through her arm to his chest exaggeratedly.

"I'm sorry Bugaboo I was making sure to look the absolute best for you." He purposely peered to her though his bangs, now dry from the transformation. Her giggle made him blush and glance to the side for a moment and she leaned close to whisper in his ear.

"Just don't do it again, we have a job to do." He couldn't breathe from how close she was, it felt like static electricity was being charged between them. She then gave the sexiest wink he could imagine and darted away from him jumping over rooftops ahead towards their usual patrol route for Mondays. He stared at her dumbfounded for a moment then ran after her, her giggles still being carried back towards him by the wind.

"Hey no fair, you cheated!" he yelled ahead. This woman was going to seriously do him in. As much as he liked running behind her, he preferred to be in front or next to her. When he was in the back, he couldn't help but stare and the luscious curves she gained over the years, especially when her hips made her ass move from side to side-

He lost his footing and fell, being caught seconds later by her yoyo and quick reflexes. She giggled again as she pulled him up.

"Careful Kitty." ...and she one hundred percent knows what she's doing to him.

They started again beside each other, coming apart and converging when there wasn't room for the both of them. A comfortable silence came upon them and his thoughts were drawn back to the anniversary, being signaled by the winding down of summer, his first classes of the semester actually starting in the morning.

Not much had changed over the years. Someone would get upset, Hawkmoth would akumatize them and they would save Paris. They always figured something out and then split ways and go about their day, and patrolled nightly. In his civilian life he kept modeling for his disconnecting father and is now starting his second year of dual majoring in fashion and business.

He was abruptly pulled by the arm from jumping to the next rooftop, dropping down into the alley below instead.

"What-"

"Shh.." She whispered placing a hand on his mouth as her body pressed up against him and peering around the corner his back was to. Satisfied with her observation, she straightened to her full height and gazed up to him. He couldn't pull his eyes away from hers and she didn't move away from him, he could very much feel her hands and breasts pressed against his chest, her hips lightly pinning his. There was one thing other than their slight appearance that had changed over the years…

The sexual tension.

He finally found his voice and lowly asked "So what was it?" He couldn't hide the huskiness in it even if he tried. His hands were itching to rest on her hips but he willed himself not to.

"A man was following a girl and she had no idea he was there. But then he surprised her and she was excited to see him so it was a false alarm." Her voice was barely above a whisper, her face just inches away from his.

"We should...get back up there." As much as both of them didn't want to, she was right. They were jumping across rooftops once again a moment later and finishing up their route for the night without much else happening. They ended at the eiffel tower to sit for a few minutes and catch their breath, as they do to end most patrols. Their legs dangled over the edge of the metal platform, a few inches between them.

"We have to adjust the patrol time a little, I start classes in the morning." She nodded stating she had the same. As much as she protested them revealing anything about their personal lives, they couldn't help but acknowledge that they were in the same year. Once graduation from high school came around, they were concerned about how attending university would affect their superhero lives. They both decided to stay local so that their duties to protect Paris weren't impaired, but he had to reassure her multiple times that he wasn't sacrificing his dreams in order to do so. Paris had a very prestigious fashion school, and his father wouldn't let him stray far anyways.

"An hour earlier then?" He nodded and stood up to stretch.

"Should be fine, I'll let you know if it isn't working for me. I should head out and do the end patrol so I can get to bed." He grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on top. "Goodnight m'Lady. Until tomorrow." She smiled fondly at him, getting ready to leave herself.

"Goodnight Chaton." She scratched under his chin for just a moment until she gained a purr deep from within his chest, and she was off again giggling into the night.

He rolled his eyes with more fondness than annoyance and jumped into the night in the opposite direction, starting on the back end of the patrol. He would make one final general sweep of the city on his way home, as she did one to open the patrol for the night before meeting up with him. He liked having this little time to himself, the one moment that Plagg could definitely not interrupt him in his thoughts.

It probably won't help him to think about it, but he still felt distracted from earlier. When they were kids just starting to be superheros, Ladybug denied any flirtatious advances he made towards her, as innocent as they were. Then as they grew up and hormones were added into the equation, she started to flirt back little by little which definitely took him by surprise at the time, and she now knocks him off his feet today with what she does to him. It never goes farther than that, they both know that they can't. And he hasn't forgotten that she liked some boy in her class, something she mentioned when he ever got really serious with her. He hadn't heard about the boy for some time now, but she also hasn't lamented about him not being in her life anymore to Chat, so he had to assume he was still in the picture somewhere. Hell, they could be dating right now and he wouldn't even know.

His hands gripped into fists at that thought and he let the pace of his footsteps center himself again and his mind clear. There's no use to get upset about the things he can't change. He's more than happy with what she gives him. He's in love with her and she knows it, and doesn't push him away.

On the last leg of his patrol, he passes by the Dupain-Cheng bakery, then his old school and makes the short way to his home. He sees Marinette leaning against the railing of her balcony as he does every night and gives her a salute when she sees him, and she waves back in response. He occasionally stops by and chats (heh get it?) with her for a bit to see how she is, but with it being so late and him having to wake up early he decided to skip it for the night. He made it home in record time exhaustedly dropping into bed as he muttered for the transformation to drop. The tingles of the transformation relaxed his body even more and it took a decent amount of energy to shrug off his sweatpants.

"That felt like forever I didn't think it would ever end." Plagg whined as he stuffed a wedge into his mouth from the dish Adrien pulled out of the mini fridge before they left.

"It was barely fifteen minutes more than the usual. You just like to complain." Adrien muttered as he turned over. "Goodnight Plagg."

He went to sleep chasing a giggling woman dressed in red through his dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the favorites, follows and reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter, please let me know what you think about it!:)

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Adrien walked groggily into the Dupain-Cheng bakery the next morning much earlier than he would have liked. He almost immediately walked into the line of people waiting to put their order in at the counter, as it was the busiest time of the day for one of the best bakeries in Paris. Marinette's mother was taking orders while her father was removing some fresh Pain au Chocolat from the oven. As the smell hit his nose, Adrian's mouth started to water. He sat at a small table by the window, noticing Marinette come out of the back with more pastry bags and paper cups. She helped her parents get through the line with ease, which Adrien admired. Just watching the rush gave him anxiety and he was thankful that he wasn't in the service industry.

Once the rush had died down, she kissed both of her parents goodbye and came up to him with two coffee cups and a pastry bag in her hands, her messenger bag for school slung over her shoulder. She hadn't changed much since they were kids either; noticeably a woman, but still recognizable Marinette. She was wearing capri jeans with converse sneakers and a flowy pink tank top with a small grey fitted jacket. He stood as she handed him the coffee cup that was white while hers was a dark brown with small gold designs.

"Thanks. Good morning, Marinette."

"Morning! Let's go. I don't want to be late on the first day." She lead them out to her car parked down the block, fishing the keys from her bag, the lucky charm he gave her for her birthday years ago dangling from her key ring. Suddenly a few flashes went off in their faces and she growled as she opened the passenger door, turning to the photographers as Adrien quickly took the invitation and got into the car.

"Really? Can't you leave him alone? There isn't even anything interesting that he's doing. We're just going to class." She walked around the car and got into the driver's seat visibly annoyed, then drove off.

"Thanks." Adrien glanced over gratefully, both hands around his coffee cup. Marinette was still seething looking in her rearview mirror, even though they were out of sight.

"I just cannot believe they're still following you when you couldn't possibly be working!" She started to rant. "I was going to say that maybe we don't have to do the coffee cup thing this year, but I guess not." Adrien laughed and he pulled a dark brown coffee cup from the white one.

"It's okay, I'm just used to it by now, I guess. If my father saw I was having a speciality drink and not black coffee in one of those pictures he would kill me for sure. I hate this diet that he forces me to have." He took a sip carefully to not burn his tongue. "Wow, this tastes great. What is it?"

"It's the new seasonal maple-pecan flavored syrup and I just made lattes with it. We haven't even put it on the menu yet since September is next week, but I knew you'd want to try it." She was already winding down as she concentrated on the road, taking a sip from her own cup. She rested her hand down on the pastry bag without looking away.

"Your favorite, fresh from the oven. Hurry and eat it in case we run into more of those assholes when we get there." Adrien excitedly pulled out a Pain au Chocolat and started munching away, practically groaning from the taste.

"They really are the best fresh! The chocolate isn't the same once you reheat them. I'll get us lunch since you got breakfast." She rolled her eyes fondly, glancing at him for a second before turning back to the road.

"You always do, even though I didn't spend anything. Even if I did, it would still cost much less than lunch."

"Yeah, but you've been double sleeving my coffees for two semesters now, and that counts way more than the cost of breakfast." He mumbled around the last bits of the croissant.

"Plus the pastries. I would be burned alive if he even thought one had crossed my lips." She nodded as she pulled into a spot not too far from the first building they had to go to, making sure her parking permit was hanging from her rear view mirror. They both hopped out of the car, Adrien re-sleeving his coffee into the white cup. "Which classes do we have today?" He asked after savoring another sip of the latte.

"Visual Design Concepts and Applications this morning, then Business of Fashion Styling this afternoon. We have about two hours for lunch in between," she replied as she went over the schedule in her phone, stepping into the building as he held the door open for her. She nodded in thanks and looked to find the room number.

Even though it was his third semester, he had the first day jitters. Marinette assured him in the past that she gets them every first day too, but he probably had them more intensely because he was home schooled for so long. He was grateful going through all of this with a friend who knew what she was doing. He would never be able to figure out where to go on his own. It helped that they had the same majors; they signed up for every class together. It definitely made assignments a lot easier. Adrien and Marinette spent most of their time together since Alya and Nino were out of Paris at different schools for their degrees, Photojournalism and Audio Engineering. They visited some weekends when they could, since the drive wasn't far for each of them, but they mostly didn't because they were spending time with each other, which was fair. Adrien couldn't imagine what it felt like having a long distance relationship. He tried to imagine not seeing his lady every day and it made his chest ache.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Marinette nudged him to pay attention as the professor walked into the room. She was on the short side which made her look a little thick even though she was a reasonable weight. He estimated that she was in her late fifties and she looked like she had a 'no bullshit' personality. As she settled he took in the room, not paying attention when he first walked in.

They sat on stools pulled up to long tables that were perfect for laying out full patterns and cutting long pieces of fabric. Two students sat at each table which made the room feel even bigger than it already was, since there were only twenty students total. With Marinette and himself at the second table in the first row, he peered back at the three tables behind him and didn't recognize anyone. He frowned as he looked to the other five tables on the other side of the aisle not recognizing anyone there either. There were posters of sewing methods, measurement scales, and design basics along the walls in between shelves of tools and accessories. There were dress forms throughout the room tucked in every little corner possible. In the back of the room there was a small doorway leading into another space. The wall above the door frame read 'sewing room'.

"Welcome to Visual Design Concepts and Applications. My name is Professor Chatel. As some of you may already know, your marks and achievements have been observed from last year, and you have been hand picked and ranked into sections based on ability. The students around you may not be recognizable because you twenty students are the most talented, and have been foreseen to be the most successful in the future of the fashion industry." Marinette glanced over to him, eyes wide, and he noticed the other students in the room looking just as flabbergasted. Though he was shocked he had mixed feelings about the announcement.

"Do not let this get to your heads, as this course will be the most competitive you face while you're at this university. Understand that you will be treated as if you were designers already out there on your own, making pieces for collections to be shown on the runway, and your classmates are your competition." The students looked around the room once more, apprehensive this time, sizing up the competition. When he locked eyes with Marinette, they shared a small smile.

"The first few weeks will be lectures on visual concepts as you sketch out your designs in your own time and bring them to class for critiquing. Then once your designs are finalized you will be executing them in class for the rest of the semester. You will only have one piece for the semester, so I expect the absolute best. I've decided to make this even more of a challenge since you are the best of the best. The person you're sitting next to is your partner for the semester. Your designs will be a part of a two piece 'collection'."

You could feel the tension flare up in the room, students realizing they can't have the freedom to do whatever they want with their designs. Poor coordination with a partner could jeopardize the synergy of the collection.

"There are times when designers collaborate for the sake of marketing strategies or social stunts. They are usually not friendly and have to go through a lot to produce a cohesive collection. I want to see how well you can work this way, especially if this course is going to mimic the industry. Now let's talk about some of the requirements of your piece."

Adrien took a breath to try to stop his head from spinning with all the new information. As he glanced over to Marinette, it looked like she felt the same. He could see her scrambling to keep up with the notes while the professor was writing them on the board.

A while later after basic visual concepts of current fashion styles were discussed, the professor announced for everyone to listen to the following important information. Everyone perked up in their seats, some excited and some apprehensive.

"Now for your pair of designs with your partner. You will all be designing off of the same theme, which will make the semester even more competitive. It took some time choosing, but I think that it will bring the most attention to our class from fashion designers nationwide." Marinette gazed over to him a bit scared but interested, asking the silent question about his father's involvement. Adrien gave a shrug. His father never mentioned it even though he was heavily involved with the school, so he suspected that it was unknown to Gabriel at this time.

"The theme will be after Paris' greatest superheroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir. I'm excited to see all of your unique interpretations of the iconic duo." Adrien instantly stiffened, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he was reminded of the time he had to dress like Chat for Laura Nightingale's music video. He prayed that they wouldn't have to model in their own designs where his secret identity could be revealed. He glanced over again to Marinette to see her reaction and she looked a bit nervous as well. He guessed that could be because she was thinking about having to dress as Ladybug for the same music video when they were much younger. The rest of class went by without much excitement. Adrien tried to take as many notes as he could, but the anxiety from the theme of the designs for the semester was pretty distressing.

They got lunch on campus because Marinette insisted that they did not need to go out anywhere crazy. She said they could definitely save it for another day.

Their next class Business of Fashion Styling was not a challenge for him. Math and business were just more things he was homeschooled heavily on. Marinette was definitely the stronger of the two of them in any of the creative and design classes. Where she would help him in those classes, he would help her in business. During the class, she looked really confused and nervous about what the professor was talking about, so he doodled a goofy face in the margins to make her giggle.

As they walked back to her car the sun was just starting to set.

"Pretty crazy assignment in our fashion class, right?" When they approached the red buggy, Marinette unclipped her keys from her belt loop, the place she always kept them when she was wearing jeans.

"Yeah, I think we really lucked out with being partners for the whole semester. How crazy is that?" As they hopped in, Adrien replied what he was thinking of the whole day.

"They probably weren't expecting anyone to know each other in the top class because of how they hand-picked everybody. We probably wouldn't have been matched together if I wasn't an Agreste, because honestly, I suck at designing." She glanced over to him sadly as she turned to look over her shoulder to back out of the space.

"Don't say things like that. You have a very creative mind. You're just not that great at sketching things out, but you're practicing and improving every time." He shrugged in acceptance.

"This semester is going to be really tough, especially with our class today. I feel like our futures really ride on us getting good grades," he muttered.

"I know, but I believe that we can definitely pull it off." Her tone was optimistic. Keeping her eyes on the road, she patted his knee. "I know we don't have class for a few more days, but I was thinking of doing some primary sketches tonight. I have a few things in mind and I want to get them down before they change into something else."

"That's fine with me. Do you want to come over to my place?" She nodded.

"Yes, we can go there straight from here. I just have to let my parents know I'll probably be late for dinner." He turned to her and smiled.

"If your mom isn't making anything crazy tonight you can totally eat over again. It's nice having company during meals." He felt Plagg rustle in his jacket, signaling that he wasn't happy that he had to still hide once they got home. She nodded sadly. He knew what she was thinking about, and he really didn't want her pity. He made a few jokes as they drove to the Agreste mansion, lightening the mood.

A bit later, they walked into his room. It didn't really look much different from when he was a kid. Most of his free time was taken up from being Chat, so there was no reason to update it much. Dust would be coating every physical activity he had in his room if there wasn't a maid that came by to clean weakly. Marinette walked over to the couch and sat down, looking a little tired from the long day they had, but there was a spark of creativity in her eyes. Adrien plopped down face first on the end of his bed and groaned.

"We did so much today. I want to sleep for a week." She giggled pulling out her sketchbook and pencils from her bag.

"Well you'll have to get used to it, we have a whole semester ahead of us." He groaned again and she responded with another laugh. "Who knew Adrien Agreste was so lazy?" He turned his head towards her and gave her a playful glare.

"You would be exhausted too if you had my schedule. I now have back to back shoots on Wednesdays because of when our classes are. I could very easily die this semester and no one would miss me." He flipped onto his back and held his hand dramatically against his chest. Marinette moved and started to settle herself on the floor, making sure she had open space.

"You know I would. Comeon, we should start before it gets late." He got up from the bed, hopping a little as he got to his feet to wake himself up a little.

"I'm going to let the kitchen know what we want first so we don't forget like last time. I think chef Chris is there tonight, do you want me to ask him to make the mac n cheese you like?" He smirked as her eyes lit up.

"Ohmygod yes. Please." He laughed as he closed the door. He came back a few minutes later with two cold water bottles. He found her looking very intently into her purse, and he wondered what could possibly be inside that was so captivating. When she looked up to him, he handed her a bottle as he took a sip out of his own. She looked so excited that she was going to explode if she didn't start drawing soon, so he grabbed his sketchbook and settled down on the floor with his back leaned against hers.

"Ready? Are you planning to design for Ladybug?" He asked as he rolled his shoulders, getting comfortable.

"No actually, I had more designs in mind for Chat Noir." He felt his cheeks heat up a little and was glad she couldn't see him at the moment.

"I think that's a good choice. Most of the girls in class will probably pick Ladybug, so you'll already stand out."

"They're really both a challenge because I don't want to design something that the others are going to do. Okay I'm ready." He felt her straighten her back so it was fully pressed against his.

And then she was sketching. Not only could he hear the soft sounds of graphite against paper, he could _feel_ it by being pressed against her back. He felt her shoulder blade move and the action ripple across both of their backs. It was soothing and they found it was easier to sketch pieces together that came out more cohesive this way. It was somehow magical, they couldn't see what the other was doing but they didn't have to.

Adrien sketched many simple designs, from ball gowns, to short tight skirts. Nothing felt like it was the thing he wants to create for the rest of the semester, even though they were all pretty. He exasperatingly laid his head back, resting on her shoulder and stared up to his ceiling and she continued to sketch.

"What's the matter?" She murmured as she continued with her sketch. His position didn't phase her anymore, and she was used to sketching with him leaning on her like this. He turned his head towards hers, his lips matching up close to her ear.

"I just, I sketched some stuff but it just doesn't feel right. I feel like I'm making the most generic designs like some of the others in our class because I'm not great at designing. I don't deserve to be in this class and I'm going to ruin your chances of really getting out there Marinette." As he breathed into her ear he felt her stiffen slightly and stop sketching.

"Adrien Agreste you are an amazing person and you deserve everything in this world, including the things you don't have so don't ever think differently. I know you can do this, and that the standards you have to live up to are taxing, but I'll be here for you the whole way. Now let me see what you've done." They traded sketchbooks, still back to back. Marinette's designs varied. Some had leather jackets, some suit jackets. There was even a casual look of jeans, a black sweater and white sneakers, but he knew that she had just sketched for fun at that point because he saw a lot of sketches of Chat's face filing the rest of the paper. The biggest and most detailed headshot on the paper looked so accurate that he started to get scared that she actually knew he was Chat and just never told him.

"These...these look crazy accurate, Marinette." She turned and sat next to him looking over the sketches. He could see a light blush on her cheeks.

"Ah...Alya has all of those pictures and videos of Ladybug and Chat that she's shown me countless times. I'm not sure that it looks exactly like him though, I started to use your face for reference at some point because I see that more often." She smiled softly at him. And motioned to his sketchbook in her hands.

"Now, this is so fucking amazing. Don't you ever dare say they're not ever again." Her words made him smile but it looked a bit sad.

"Yeah they're okay, but not...not Ladybug." Marinette looked away for a second and coughed.

"W-well...you've been rescued by her a few times right? How do you picture her?" She still had a light blush across her cheeks and nose.

"Well...I don't picture her in a dress. Yeah, she would look beautiful in one, but it doesn't give off the vibe of being a superhero." Marinette busied herself looking at his sketches as her blush intensified.

"If not a skirt, the the opposite is pants. Does that make you think of anything?" He looked at her as if she was the smartest woman on earth.

"Yes! A pantsuit! I think it goes well for a representation of her superhero outfit with it being one piece." He started sketching in front of her, his mind almost working too fast for his hands. "And if the pockets had a finish that stuck up like this, it looks almost like when she has her yoyo string wrapped around her hips!" He grinned at her and she returned it.

"See look at that, it's amazing Adrien. You just needed some direction is all." He continued to sketch for a bit and they got into specific critiques about their works. They planned to take all of the sketches to class as per the professor's requirement, but they already picked out their favorite ones.

Food came soon after and they took a break, enjoying a video posted online of an Ultimate Mecha Strike III tournament. Marinette enjoyed her mac n cheese while Adrien was forced to eat something more healthy. He stole a few bites of her food though. Once they were full, they chatted about little things they experienced in class today, and what they think their upcoming classes would be like. Responding to a text message, Marinette glanced at her phone and shot up instantly.

"Oh my gosh is that really the time!? I'm going to be late!" She started to pack up her stuff. Adrien went to help her and clean his own stuff off the floor.

"What is it? You didn't say you had anything." She paused for a minute staring at him, as if her mind was trying to catch up with her.

"Ah...you know how I talk on the phone with Alya every night? S-she wants to start an hour earlier, something about having an early class this semester." He nodded and helped her out, watching her car drive away from his bedroom window. Plagg shot out of his jacket pocket as soon as the coast was clear.

"Phew I thought she would never leave!" He flew over to his cheese that Adrien ordered with dinner and started munching away. "It's a good thing she left though because we're going to be late for patrol." Adrien looked over to him confused.

"What do you mean? We still have like...an hour and a half." He said checking his phone for the time.

"You asked to start an hour earlier because of school remember? You're literally giving me only half an hour to eat my cheese."

"...Shit."


	3. Chapter 3

Hello all, I just want to thank you for the follows, favorites and reviews. I'm really sorry it took forever for this chapter to be posted but as I'm sure as with everybody, life just gets in the way. Things are starting to get back to normal so I'm hoping I can start to post more frequently, but just know that I have plans for this story and it might take time, but I will be updating.

I'm also excited to announce I have an official editor!:) So props to her3

Enjoy!

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After a rushed shower, Adrien quickly transformed and was jumping across rooftops towards their usual meeting place for Tuesdays. He tried to clear his head of the long day he already had and to ignore how tired he felt. He reminded himself that he can go straight to bed afterwards, he just had to push through patrol.

"Sorry I'm a few minutes late m'Lady, I forgot we arranged to meet earlier. It's been a long day." He called out as he strolled across the rooftop, looking towards the stars, arms bent and folded behind his head. When his eyes settled back down, he noticed she wasn't there.

"...Bugaboo?" He walked around the rooftop to see if she was hiding from him but he didn't find her anywhere. It sure was odd, she's always punctual.

Suddenly he was struck by a body and fell onto his back. He was then staring into a pair of bluebell eyes he knew all too well. They were staring back into his with so much energy, and he was glad that his mask covered the majority of his blush.

"Glad you decided to drop in, m'Lady." He chuckled as she rolled her eyes and hit his shoulder playfully as she tried to catch her breath. They both sat up, but she remained on his lap. It was something he very much enjoyed but knew that she wouldn't have allowed it to happen if she wasn't distracted. His arms naturally rested around her hips and he started feeling the heat pool in his stomach. He could feel her suit through his, it was a very warm tingling feeling that was spreading across his body, and he had to restrain himself from rubbing his hands up and down her sides. Her legs were on either side of him, she could easily wrap her legs around him and he knew he'd never let her go if she did. He was concerned as he looked into her eyes, which he noticed were worried and calculating.

"Relax, what's going on?" She was still panting as she tried to get everything out as fast as she could.

"I started my opening sweep a little late, and watched someone get akumatized, I tried to talk to her, to not give in to Hawkmoth-"

"GIVE ME YOUR MIRACULOUS!" A shrill voice cut into the otherwise quiet night.

"And...you led her here without a plan?" She grinned up to him.

"Yep."

He saw a figure jumping across rooftops headed straight for them. She was completely white from her hair to her skintight outfit. Her complexion was extremely pale and her eyes were golden. They both scrambled to their feet and started running in the opposite direction.

"Do you really not have any kind of plan?" He tried to glance at her as they jumped to the next rooftop.

"No, I couldn't get enough from the situation. Remember the couple from last night that was the false alarm?" They both darted farther away from each other as a golden ray of energy hit the rooftop between them.

"Yeah, what about them?" He questioned as they joined back together. He followed her lead as they made a few quick turns after jumping down and hid behind a parked car on a side street. She continued to explain while looking out, trying to catch her breath again.

"That's the same girl. She was fighting with the guy this time. All I could make out was that she said she realized he wasn't being that transparent, that he was hiding something from her. Sounds like another woman to me. She also said that he's not what she thought he was."

"Sounds like a generic couple's fight, if you ask me." Chat said with his arms crossed. Suddenly a figure dropped down next to them and they both turned ready to fight.

"Hey guys, need a little help tonight?" The bright smile and hazel eyes of Rena Rouge greeted them. Chat gave a sigh in relief, but felt Ladybug stiffen beside him.

"Rena! Long time no see! Yeah, it looks like we could use a hand tonight. It won't be easy." Chat gave Rena a high-five.

"But… how could you be here? That's not possible." Ladybug stuttered, shocked by the sight of the fox heroine. Chat turned to her with raised eyebrows.

"What are you talking about, Bugaboo? She's right here." He put his arm around Rena's shoulders as she smirked at Ladybug.

"Yeah, you could hear that commotion coming from anywhere, so I came right over." She crossed her arm over her chest to pat his hand. Chat saw Ladybug's face change from confusion to accusing.

"Chat, step away from her. That isn't Rena." As Chat looked at Rena's face, he saw Hawkmoth's sigil outline her eyes. Her look turned sinister as she grabbed onto his hand, trying to pull his ring off. He made a fist as Ladybug kicked her in the stomach. As she went flying, she turned back into the woman in white. Ladybug called out to her.

"Please, Diana was it? You don't have to do this for Hawkmoth. We can work everything out with you without all of this destruction." The woman shook off the pain from the landing and stood up, shouting back.

"I am no longer Diana! The name's Chameleon! I will teach you what it feels like to be deceived and then I will take your Miraculous to Hawkmoth!" At that moment she walked backward and phased through the car behind her. They both looked to each other shocked.

"That's just like…" Chat tried to grasp onto the words.

"Troublemaker _and_ Volpina? We're totally fucked." Chat noticed a white hand coming from behind them, trying to grab at Ladybug's earrings. He kicked Chameleon away and grabbed Ladybug's hand. They started running away again, dodging another gold streak.

"Any idea where the akuma is?" They kept the chase to the streets for the time being, not wanting to be worried about falling from heights when they didn't know what they were up against.

"None. I was preoccupied with what the guy was saying, so I didn't realize what was happening until Hawkmoth was already talking to her." As they rounded a street corner, a gold beam hit a parked car nearby, protecting them from being struck.

"What do you think happens if we get hit by that?" He looked over to Ladybug as she jumped onto a bench with him, using it to jump over the fence into the park. Chameleon phased right through the iron.

"I don't know and I really don't want to find-NO CHAT!" He pushed her out of the way, taking the hit for her. There was no way for her to dodge it in time, she didn't see it coming. She dropped to his side as he felt hot, white pain spread through his body.

"It's okay m'Lady. It's my job to take the hits." His vision became cloudy as she growled at him.

"I told you a million times, Chat. We're a team, fifty-fifty. There's no reason to take hits for me like that." He struggled to say his next words, trying to hold on to his vision as he could hear Chameleon's footsteps growing closer.

"Yes, there is...use...Lucky Charm.."

He heard her scream the Hail Mary as his vision went completely black. He knew his eyes were still open, but it was as if he was in a completely dark room.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Her voice sounded similar to years ago when they first started, when she was completely flabbergasted on how this item could help them. In current times, she more so knew what to do, and the Lucky Charm would be her confirmation. Her Kwami, Tikki, told her that it was because she adapted from being Ladybug for so long. She handed him the object before getting up. It just felt like a piece of paper. She stood at his feet, and he assumed she was putting herself between him and Chameleon.

"You'll pay for this." Her voice sounded serious and deadly. It sent a shiver down his spine through the pain. Chameleon laughed maniacally.

"Just give it up, you stupid insect. The alley cat can no longer help you." Chameleon then yelled and charged, and he heard her fist hit the ground as Ladybug must have dodged it, leading the fight away from him. The pain started to slowly leave his body and his vision started to clear. He could make out blurs of red and white throwing punches and kicks. They would suddenly switch places back and forth as he tried to regain full vision.

And then just like that, he felt no more pain and his vision was clear. He blinked toward the battle mystified, and saw the women continue to fight, equally matched and too distracted to know he was back in the game. He waited for his moment. When there was an opening, he darted in and grabbed Chameleon by the throat, slammed her against a large tree, and pinned her there, Ladybug by his side. He leaned in close as he squeezed her neck tighter.

"Thought I was out for the count, huh? Well this cat has nine lives." Chameleon tired to gasp something out.

"..Chat...it..me.." His eyes squinted as she quickly flashed to Ladybug and back to Chameleon. Shocked, he jumped back from the both of them and Chameleon dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. As she stood up to face him, only a few feet from his partner, she turned into Ladybug before his eyes. He looked back and forth between them confused and scared. Who was who? How is he going to know?

"Chat, it's me, can't you tell?" The woman that he was not choking against the tree was staring at him confused and worried. His gaze turned to the other woman still rubbing her throat, but had on the same exact expression.

"No Chat! Don't believe her!" They looked and moved exactly the same. How was he going to do this? He glared at the both of them and shouted.

"CATACLYSM!" He felt the dark energy come from every inch in his body and gather into his right hand. Both Ladybugs looked horrified as he menacingly walked toward them, stopping just a few feet in front of them.

"Now stop playing games. I'm sure you both know what may happen if I use this on a person." He looked at them expectantly. This had to be from the golden beam Chameleon hit him with, he was the only one who could see two Ladybugs.

"Chaton, it's me!" They both shouted almost simultaneously, and then looked at each other first shocked and then angry. They looked back at him and shouted in unison.

"She's somehow copying everything I say!" He growled gripping his hands and felt the piece of paper in his left. He looked down and recognized it as the newspaper clipping that was once an akumatized item. Flashbacks of the sculptor Théo ran through his mind, how jealous Théo was when Chat claimed that he and Ladybug were an item. Chat envisioned the two of them fighting, both appearing as Chat Noir, attempting to gain Ladybug's trust.

He couldn't believe it. The Lucky Charm was actually meant for him. He knew what he had to do. Dropping the paper, he announced his claim with confidence.

"Only the real Ladybug knows how much we love each other, and knows what to do." The one he choked against the tree was shocked at first but then looked pensive, while the other Ladybug looked smug. The smug Ladybug looked over to her lookalike with a glare of superiority as she sauntered up to him. He stood rock solid as she laid her hand against his chest and kissed him square on the lips. He grabbed her throat with his left hand and pinned her to the ground, her image hazing between Ladybug and Chameleon.

"H-how?" Chameleon choked out as she tried to fight his grip. He answered smugly.

"Ladybug and I may love each other, but that doesn't mean we're together." The statement made his vision clear completely and he got a good look at Chameleon for the first time. Everything was white on her except a delicate butterfly necklace that was a very light shade of violet. He pinched it off her carefully with the dark energy glowing around his fingers and it disintegrated, a black and violet butterfly fluttering away.

Ladybug's yoyo caught it, and released a white butterfly seconds later, as Chameleon reverted back to Diana. Chat got off of her and helped her to her feet.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" The healing light spread through the town, fixing all the destruction the fight left behind. He and Ladybug shared a silent fist bump while his other arm was supporting Diana.

"W-what happened?" Diana asked dazed and confused, holding her head. Ladybug leaned towards her.

"You had a fight with your boyfriend and were akumatized by Hawkmoth. Everything is fine now." Worry struck Diana's features.

"I didn't hurt anyone, did I?" She looked up to Chat and he smiled a soft smile back.

"Nope, it was just us out here tonight, and as you can see we're fine." Relief washed over her features. Diana started to say something when a girl shouted over to her from across the park. She looked back to both of them.

'That's my sister. I was supposed to meet with her after studying with my boyfriend." Ladybug and Chat Noir nodded to her and she walked to her sister, both of them soon out of sight. The duo jumped away together and hopped onto the closest rooftop that looked safe, trying to catch their breath.

"That was the worst akuma we've had in a long time, m'Lady." He looked over to her as his chuckle was interrupted by the shrill beeping of both of their miraculous. Her bluebell eyes locked with his, wide and panicking. There wasn't enough time to get home. She held onto his shoulders, her face just inches from his.

"Sit with your back to me, quick! You can't look, promise me Chat." Her eyes were pleading, but he didn't want to hide anymore. He wanted her to know who he was. As he looked back into her eyes, he knew she understood how he felt. He saw the emotion break on her features for just a second, and he could see that she felt similar to him, that she considered it.

Her thought was interrupted by the final beeping of the miraculous, hers starting just before his. She lowered them both down to the rooftop and gave him one last pleading look as she let go of his shoulders and turned her back to him. He gave in, doing the same, and as he pressed his back against hers he actually felt her transformation drop.

It was different from his. Of course he was feeling it secondhand through his suit, but it felt lighter, like floating glitter instead of the electricity he usually feels. He felt her stiffen as his transformation dropped immediately after and he knew she could feel it from their contact as well.

And just like that he was face to face with Plagg, who looked utterly exhausted.

"Oh boy." His shock quickly turned into smugness when he realized the full situation and all Adrien could do was glare in return.

"Plagg! This isn't a game! This is serious!" A higher pitched voice came from behind Adrien and when he went to turn his head to see who it was, he felt Ladybug stiffen against him, reminding him to face forward.

"Hey, Tikki! Long time no see. Got any cheese?" Plagg responded playfully and all Adrien could do was roll his eyes. A much more quiet and nervous voice responded after a minute.

"Tikki, you know where you can go to eat. Bring Plagg with you and come back as soon as you can. We'll be okay, I promise." Plagg gave him a wink before floating behind him and away from the rooftop, both his and Tikki's bickering voices fading in the distance.

"Well...this is different then how we usually end patrol, huh Bugaboo?" She didn't respond at first. He was fighting every cell in his body from turning around to see her. She was right there, finally without the mask. This could be his only chance. He _loved_ her so damn much.

"Please Chat, I know what you're thinking. We can't. It isn't safe. We have to wait just a bit longer until we defeat him...please." Her voice broke at the end and he realized she was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince him.

He sighed and laid his head back, resting on her shoulder as he stared up to the stars for the second time that night. He felt her stiffen at the movement. She sounded like she was about to say something, but then relaxed slightly when he stayed where he was, still somewhat stiff.

He understood. He's understood for a while now. But he's still tired of it. She was the only person in the world that knew him like this, and they had something so special, he knew he was never going to get this bond with anyone else in his entire life.

Before either of them could change his mind he started to move, his eyes squeezed shut. He picked up his head and turned to her, wrapping his arms around her stomach, his cheek resting on her shoulder again, his lips ever so slightly from her neck. He felt her stiffen at the movement and she was about to protest as he whispered in her ear.

"They're closed, don't worry." He felt her shiver at the close contact, but she then relaxed into his hold as much as she could given the situation. His lips smiled against the smooth skin of her neck and he felt the heat pool in his stomach once again. She couldn't help but hum at the contact and she let her head fall against his collarbone, her hands laying over his across her stomach. He was suddenly warm and tingly all over, every one of his nerves feeling the sensation. She was so close, she was right there, and he had to squeeze his eyes even tighter to fight it.

"You okay?" She murmured as she felt his tension, her voice way more shy then when she had the mask on.

He couldn't fight it anymore. He only had so much control. His hands moved to her shoulders and gently turned her around.

"C-Chat, d-don't-"

"They're still closed." It was the only thing he could choke out as he held on to her shoulders, both of them face to face with their eyes shut so tight, he felt he was never going to be able to open them again.

His hand left her shoulder and slowly moved up her collarbone to her neck, and he rested his hand against her cheek. He rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone to feel the softness of her skin. He not only heard, but felt her gasp and he was suddenly drawn to gently rub his thumb across her bottom lip, her breath in small pants against it as it passed over the silky surface. His fingers then trailed ever so lightly up her nose and across her brow, trying to conform everything he could to memory. As his hand made its way back down to her cheek, he felt her chin tilt up to his, and he could feel their breath mingling between them.

"Chaton…" It was all he needed to hear.

He captured her lips with his own and all his mind could formulate was the thought 'so soft' as every warm nerve on his body was set ablaze. The sensation was like his transformation, but so much more. The kiss was gentle and slow, and as it ended he could feel her return his smile against his lips.

It was her that hesitantly kissed him the second time. It was like fireworks going off in his chest and the embers were falling down into his abdomen, and tingling to the rest of his body. After a few minutes, he pulled back and rested his forehead against her collarbone, kissing the side of her neck once. She giggled and ran her fingers through his hair, and he felt the ghost of a purr inside of his chest. His smile couldn't get any wider, his heart pounding fast. He would easily agree to stay like this forever.

It was then that she shifted, just to get her legs more comfortable, and he heard a set of keys jingle. He hadn't meant to open his eyes, but they were already casted downward and the sound caught his attention…

He was staring at a keychain, a very familiar one, the unique lucky charm he had made someone for her birthday, hanging from the rest of her keys on the belt loop of her jeans. He gasped.

"What's wrong?" She asked as he took in the rest of her from the waist down. The same jeans and converse that were with him most of the day, and the bottom hem to a flowy pink top with a grey fitted jacket. He lifted his head to make sure that this was happening. He had to look at her now.

"Minou? Are you okay?" Marinette questioned to him with her eyes squeezed shut, a slight blush on her cheeks, her lips a bit more red than usual. She was beautiful, but it was so _weird_ having her call him like that. He didn't know how to respond, what to say. Just then, Plagg and Tikki flew up to them both. Plagg looked smug and Tikki was about to scream if she could make the sound through her current shock.

"They're back...claws out." He choked in barely a whisper. He wasn't able to enjoy the sensation of his transformation this time. She still stayed still, not calling on her transformation. He shakily held her face in both of his hands and kissed her forehead. And then he was gone into the night, leaving her on that rooftop without another word.

Adrien fell into bed as his transformation dropped. He felt beyond tired physically but his mind was reeling.

"This is impossible. How is this happening?" He questioned into the dark silence of his room as he stared at his ceiling. Plagg floated up into his line of sight, munching another piece of cheese.

"I knew this would happen sooner or later once you started spending more time together. I told Tikki." Plagg floated back out of his sight and Adrien didn't bother moving his head to follow. His brows scrunched together.

"Wait...you _knew_ Marinette was Ladybug?...This whole time?" Plagg made some sort of negative sound around his cheese and responded when he swallowed.

"No, Tikki and I are not told in the beginning. We found out when you dropped your transformations in that storage locker the Dark Owl had you trapped in. Do you remember?" Adrien nodded.

"I wasn't allowed to tell you for your safety, kid. I'm sorry" Adrien nodded again, it was the only thing he could do right now. Plagg came back into his sight looking more worried than before.

"Just try to get some rest, kid. You have a long day tomorrow and only a few hours to rest. You can figure it all out tomorrow." Adrien nodded and turned on his side away from Plagg, but he couldn't even force himself to close his eyes. Flashes of his day with Marinette ran through his mind, her reactions when they were talking about their fashion project. The way she always acted around him, shy and timid, was drastically different compared to the bravery she honed as Ladybug. She never had a problem speaking her mind to Chat, but took so long to be like that with Adrien. It was very difficult to believe they could be the same person. It was making his head spin.

He tried to picture Marinette jumping across rooftops with him, and all that would come to mind was her stumbling and falling into an alley. He tried to picture Ladybug running around filling orders in the Dupeng-Cheng bakery during rush hour. Ladybug handing him a latte and and his favorite pastry. Marinette cleansing countless butterflies and saving Paris. Marinette flirting with him so much he was about to lose his mind…

Marinette kissing him on a rooftop, all alone, with her eyes squeezed shut.

He felt his chest grow tight at the thought. Marinette was always a friend to him, a _best_ friend, and that's all he's ever felt towards her because he was in love with Ladybug. She was always there for him from the beginning, and he couldn't think of anything he didn't like about her. He recalled how close they were, all the time they spend together, how well they know each other…

Could he like Marinette? She was quite beautiful actually. Her clumsiness was enamoring, her strong morals always were admirable. If there wasn't Ladybug… would he be with Marinette right now?

 _But Marinette is Ladybug._

He thought about every memory he had of both Ladybug and Marinette. How they both danced around each other from the beginning. How he always wondered if Ladybug ever passed him in the hallways at school, if she knew who his civilian self was. He recalled the times Ladybug had saved his life, how _shy_ she was around him. He remembered the time he worked with Marinette to take down Evillustrator. Oh _god_ he really tried to show off as Chat. How embarrassing.

Slowly the two women started to weave together in his memory, until they converged into one beautiful, strong, amazing woman. Life would have been so much easier if they had known sooner. Getting away from their friends to transform, strategize against Hawkmoth in their civilian forms. Ladybug was always so adamant about keeping their identities a secret, but it seemed so much more beneficial.

Then he thought of how he would give his absolute all during battle, because not only he would be protecting Ladybug, but also Marinette. How he would be distracted if a villain had her hostage.

 _Well_ , I guess that makes it not as safe.

Adrien eventually fell into a restless sleep, his consciousness still playing memories of Ladybug and Marinette. He only had a few hours before he would see her again.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you so much for your reviews! I love hearing from you and seeing the story's favorites helps me get through my writer's block! I just think it is so funny that a few days after I posted chapter 3, my editor and I saw the trailer for season 3 episode one titled "Chameleon" and we both freaked out lol.

I appreciate your patience with the release of this chapter, between work, my birthday, and the upcoming holidays it wasn't easy to find time to write, and my editor was finishing up her finals in her first semester for her doctorate degree. We'll hopefully be able to work together to put out a few chapters before she goes back to school. So a special thank you again to her for being my editor! 3

Enjoy!

* * *

Adrien laid in a half conscious state waiting for his alarm to go off. He went about his morning routine lazily, feeling unrested but with no desire to go back to sleep. Squinting at his reflection in the mirror, he sighed as he opened a drawer under the bathroom sink and pulled out a small tube of concealer, using just enough under his eyes. He did not need to be bombarded with questions about his health on the way out of his house.

It was Wednesday, which meant a double photoshoot session was to greet him today. The plan was to hit up the bakery and get in some studying with Marinette before the shoots, because there would be no time for it later in the day. His shooting times varied depending on the lighting needed, so it wasn't very predictable and it was better to reserve the entire day for the shoots. He had already anticipated to be tired by the time patrol rolled around, but he still felt exhausted from yesterday. He tried not to think about _that_ just yet.

He would totally bail from seeing her this morning if he could. He still felt extremely confused about the entire situation and he wasn't sure if seeing her so soon was going to help. He was thankful that he at least didn't have to spend the entire day with her until Thursday when they had more classes.

In no time at all Adrien was standing in front of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He felt anxious as he stepped inside, but found a table away from the commotion like the day before and watched Marinette run around again. She was in full work mode as she took on a line of customers that was twice as long as the day before behind the cash register. Sabine was restocking the display shelves with countless sweets and he assumed Tom was in the back baking.

It was difficult for him to stop himself from staring at her as she worked. He tried to imagine the side braid she had today as two pigtails, pictured her in a red suit littered with spots instead of the black leggings and baseball tee she wore. It didn't help that the baseball tee was grey and black with stripes of neon green, _his_ colors. He busied himself with his phone as he tried to make himself not look like a creep.

A few minutes later he felt someone standing in front of his table, and looked up to Marinette's small smile that reached her eyes. She winked at him as she placed a white coffee cup and a chocolate croissant on a plate in front of him before leaving to attend another table that was dining in. He watched her as she crossed the floor and bent over to pick up someone's wallet. He felt the heat go straight down to his crotch when he saw her ass come into view, the outline of a thong ever so slightly present. He ripped his eyes away and shoved half of his croissant into his mouth. Why, _why,_ did she have to wear leggings on today of all days?

He pulled out one of his reference books required for their Visual Design Concepts and Applications class and flipped to a random page about skirt pleats that he forced himself to find very interesting, refusing to look away from it. All too soon she joined him, pulling out her own book.

"Was that the assigned reading?" His eyes shot up to her. He clapped the book shut, and laughed awkwardly as she looked at him questioningly.

"What? No, no I was just looking at something for my design for… L-Ladybug." He busied himself by taking a sip of his coffee which wasn't so warm anymore. She raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you were excited to do a pantsuit?" She took a sip from her coffee without breaking eye contact.

"Y-yep! I uh- well I was thinking about possibly doing a skirt? But totally deciding against that now. Do you know what the assigned reading was? Because I forgot to copy the blages- I mean pages down." Oh my god, what was this rambling bullshit he was doing? All he needed to do was trip over something and he would be the spitting image of Marinette when he first met her. He had to cool off and get some space for a minute.

"I'm just going to run to the bathroom before we start anything, okay?" She nodded and he got up quickly. As he walked past the table that was next to theirs, his foot caught on a man's briefcase and Adrien fell to the ground face first.

 _And there it was._

"Adrien! Are you okay?" She was at his side immediately, helping him up. He nodded and after saying a quick apology to the man, locked himself in the single bathroom. Plagg zipped out of his pocket as he splashed cool water on his face.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Adrien looked up at Plagg through the mirror's reflection.

"I don't know, it's just difficult to be around her right now." Plagg nodded and hovered closer to his shoulder, also using the reflection to make eye contact.

"Well whatever you do, you can't let her know you know. I'm sure Tikki is thankful that it's only one of you that knows and not both." Adrien nodded and held out his jacket. Once Plagg was back in place he walked back to their table. There was now a water glass and some extra pastries in the center. He sat across from her and she looked up from her reading.

"I got you some water and these came fresh out of the oven. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" He couldn't help but give a small smile in gratitude for her concern.

"Yeah, sorry, I just didn't get much sleep last night." They both reached for a pastry at the same time, their hands touching. He ripped his hand back quickly, bringing the glass of water with him and spilling it all over his lap.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Marinette snatched a napkin, reaching over to dab at his shirt and thighs trying to not let the water soak in. He grabbed her wrists to stop her and held her still. He realized his grip was a little too strong when he saw the hint of rejection in her eyes. He loosened and rubbed her palms with both of his thumbs, his elbows now resting on the table. She relaxed but still had a look of concern. He didn't pull away.

"I'm sorry. Everything is okay. Like I said, I didn't sleep well." She gave him a small smile and reached to fix his hair into a better position, his hand still holding her other wrist gently. She had a light blush on her cheeks, and he could feel his own start to come back as soon as she touched his hair.

"Is there any way you can postpone the shoots to get some rest today?" She murmured softly. He shook his head as she pulled away from him, returning to her side of the table.

"No, my father would kill me. Even if I could, that would double up shoots for next Wednesday." He took notice of how comfortable they were with touching each other. Come to think of it, they touched each other all the time. Just simple touches when they passed each other or reached around each other to get something. He took another sip of his coffee and looked out into the small dining area.

"It's too bad you guys couldn't expand bigger than this. It's better than when we were kids, but can you imagine how many more customers you'd have dining in?" He glanced to her and she looked back with a small, sad smile.

"Yeah it's a shame we couldn't go larger, but that's how much the city permitted with the sidewalks needed to be pushed out. It didn't help that we live on a corner." He shook his head.

"The corner also gives you good foot traffic, and it's so close to the school, which I'm sure gives you more business." He winced as the cool water seeped into his boxers.

"I'm really sorry about the water again. Is there anything I can do?"

"It's alright, it's not your fault. I have to change when I get to the shoot anyway so I'll manage."

They both started the reading the was assigned chapter. It was about different types of stitching techniques and where they would be best applied. As she crossed her legs, her foot came to rest against the inside of his knee. He looked up at her and she seemed not to notice, too engrossed in her reading. Of course she didn't notice, it was something that's happened before. But now given the _situation_ he noticed everything.

How could he be this close, this comfortable with Marinette when he was in love with Ladybug? She looked up at him, her mind finishing the thought on what she just read. Then she just smiled, and it took his breath away. She was beautiful, but he always knew that. These feelings aren't new because he knows she's Ladybug now.

 _No,_ he's had these feelings for a while now.

"What is it? Do I have crumbs?" She started wiping at her mouth and it was so adorable. He chuckled.

"No you don't, don't worry." He had feelings for both of them, Ladybug and Marinette. He was just so caught up with trying to catch Ladybug's affection he ignored his feelings for the girl in front of him.

"So how far in are you? I have about three pages left." She propped her cheek against her hand, her elbow resting on the table. He swallowed. God, did she always look this cute?

"A-about the same. Compare notes after?" She nodded and went back to reading. He couldn't bring himself to look away from her.

He still couldn't picture a red mask across her nose and cheekbones. Just then, her eyes hardened with determination as she read something. It was the look she had when she took on a crazy amount of orders from behind the counter.

There it was. He could see Ladybug in there.

She looked up again and he quickly looked away. God, this is so awkward. He's got to stop staring at her.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir do it again! The duo protected Paris last night as we slept. An anonymous source submitted this footage." Their attention was brought to the television high up on the wall, behind the counter. A clip of them jumping away after the fight was shown. It was taken from far away, the person taking the video had to be high up. He froze. Did someone see them on the rooftop after they de-transformed?

Marinette's foot stopped tapping against his leg. He knew she was thinking the same thing. The clip ended and Nadja was back on the screen talking about the girl that was akumatized and how she was unharmed. He sighed in relief.

"I-I'm finished, you ready to go over stuff?" Her side braid moved to her other shoulder when she stretched her neck.

"W-what? No, I mean! Yes. What did you think?" For the next few minutes, he dumbly agreed with everything she said because he didn't actually read much. Not too long after that he was packed up and ready to leave for the shoot, Gorilla outside with the car.

He shuffled from foot to foot trying to not make the goodbye sound awkward. He just didn't know what to say anymore. She leaned up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, her chin resting on his shoulder. It surprised him for a second, but he naturally wound his arms around her waist, leaning down to rest his own chin on her shoulder as well. It just felt so warm, so right.

"Good luck at the shoot. I hope you feel better. Text me later and I'll see you tomorrow." She murmured to him. Gorilla honked the horn and he pulled away from her, already missing the warmth. He gave her a bright smile and he noticed a blush start to come back to her cheeks, something he wouldn't have given a second thought to before.

"Thanks, I'll see you." _For patrol later_ he added on in his head. He gave her one last wave as he got into the car, and spent the car ride lost in thought of the morning he just had with her. In no time at all he was at the first shoot location, inside a private changing room with a pile of clothes in his arms. Plagg flew out of his jacket as he started to change.

"I thought you said Marinette was _just a friend_." He taunted Adrien with the phrase he's said over the years. It shook Adrien out of this thoughts for just a moment, and he looked over to Plagg with the vision of Marinette this morning in his mind. Her cute smile, her adorable braid, her sweet eyes.

"No… she's _so much more."_ Plagg made a noise that sounded accomplished, but he looked grossed out. In no time at all he had finished with hair and makeup and was on the first shoot site.

Modeling over the years had given him an autopilot of sorts, and he let that click in as his mind wandered to what patrol would be like later. How is he not going to not get distracted? She was going to be in that skin tight suit, all of those curves on display for him, and he's going to want to kiss her so bad… to get her alone against a wall and-

"Very good, Adrien. Time to change for the second shoot." The photographer brought him out of his thoughts and Adrien moved to go change. The photographer clapped him on his shoulder as he passed.

"I see you've been working on your smolder. It looks great in the photos. Keep up the good work and we should finish early today." Adrien muttered a thanks and tried to hide his blush as he went straight to the dressing room. Plagg didn't bother to come out of his bag, which he was thankful for, because he now had a problem on his hands.

The raging hard-on in his pants.

He bumped his forehead against the wall as he grabbed it through the fitted slacks, his other arm holding him up against the wall. That's what he gets for letting his mind wander. He's going to have to take care of this before patrol, but right now he needs to pull it together and just get through this shoot so he can go home. He started changing into the next outfit which was only a designer pair of briefs and ripped up blue jeans. He looked at himself in the mirror and read the designer's name on the band of the boxers that showed over the top band of the jeans.

A sexy shoot, of course. Why would the rest of the day be easy for him?

The setting of the shoot was a bedroom with grey walls and white bedding. As the photographer motioned for him to sit, the hairstylist came over to make his hair more disheveled.

"Now Adrien, just keep the look you had before and this should be over in no time." Adrien awkwardly nodded and tried to keep his mind clear of Marinette or Ladybug as he posed. He definitely did not want to get hard again in front of everybody.

"No, no! It's not the same! I need that smolder!" The photographer sighed.

Well, shit. Adrien looked down to his feet with his elbows on his knees as he sat on the edge of the bed, his hands dangling loosely. How the hell was he going to think about her and not get hard?

"Imagine the woman of your dreams walking into this room right now. She climbs onto the bed and wraps her arms around you, you can feel her against your back." And he could, he could feel her warm body behind him, her chin resting on his shoulder. He looked up to the camera and saw the flash.

"Yes! That's it! Keep that look!" And as he continued to pose he thought about her being in this bedroom with him. The things he would do to her if he had the chance. He would turn around and kiss her, his body pressing hers into the bed. And when he finally looked into her eyes, it was Marinette wearing red lingerie with black spots everywhere. _His Lady._

"And that's a wrap! Good job, Adrien. Your father will be pleased that this ad will go up in a few days." Adrien sighed in relief as he made it back into the dressing room with only half of a hard-on, his jeans too tight to allow much else.

It sprang free once he pulled down the briefs and he willed it away as he changed. It wasn't fully gone, but he would be home soon. As he shouldered his bag, Plagg flew into his jacket pocket with a big yawn.

"That felt like forever. Is it dinner time? I want cheese." Adrien chuckled and patted the area Plagg was tucked inside.

"Yes, we'll eat once we get home." A short ride from Gorilla and he was met with his father standing at the top of the staircase when he walked through the front door.

"Vincent said the shoot went well. I'm adding a third to next Wednesday." Gabriel's cold voice echoed in the lobby. Adrien sighed.

"Of course, Father." He turned and walked to the dining room, dropping his bag next to his chair. He scrolled through social media and watched a few videos as he ate his bland dinner, sneaking pieces of cheese to Plagg who ate on his lap. His eyes drifted towards the other end of the long table, the chair empty. He accepted that Gabriel seldom ate dinner with him, and started to enjoy the time by himself, where he wasn't judged as he ate.

As long as his grades were high, and he was present at the shoots that were arranged for him, Adrien was allowed to do most things within reason. This allowed him to be semi-independent, and he no longer yearned for the fatherly love that Gabriel refused to show him. Though he missed his mother dearly, his father wasn't able to show him the level of affection that she had, and it was foolish of him to think his father could step up once she was gone. But he was just a kid that missed his mom, and to this day he hasn't been told the truth about how or why she's gone.

He was brought out of his thoughts when dinner was cleared by the service staff. He thanked them and they smiled in return, grateful for his kindness. He grabbed his bag on his way up to his room, and pulled up a video game walkthrough on his computer to entertain Plagg as he showered before patrol.

He felt some nerves kick in as he stripped down, the shower getting warm. He was going to see her in only a few minutes. Yes, he did already see her today, but she didn't know that it was him that kissed her last night. He stepped into the hot spray of the shower, sighing as it relaxed his muscles.

He could still remember how soft her lips were, how amazing it felt to finally kiss his Lady. Clumsy and shy Marinette was his Ladybug and god she was a lascivious woman as she patrolled with him at night, testing his control. He thought about all of the times that she flirted with him, teased him.

His hard member bounced against him as he washed his body and he grabbed it, the soap on his hands helping the movement. His hips bucked at the sensation, and he remembered it had been a while since he'd been able to do this. His showers had been rushed lately to make it to patrol on time. His eyes rolled back into his head as he moved up and down and imagined Marinette doing all the sexy things that Ladybug had done to him. Just a few nights ago, it was Marinette under that suit that pressed up against him in that alley, her pouty lips just a hair away from his. He never thought he could love Ladybug any more than he did, but as he came he realized that he did so much more now, knowing that she was Marinette.

His legs were weak as he finished washing the rest of his body and hair. As he stepped out of the shower Plagg popped through the door and Adrien quickly grabbed his towel to cover up.

"Plagg, what the fuck have I told you?!" Plagg rolled his eyes unfazed.

"I was making sure you didn't fall asleep in there. It's been over an hour." Adrien glanced at his phone.

"Shit, really?" Marinette had texted him saying she hoped he was feeling better and that she was going to bed. He smirked at that, knowing she definitely wasn't.

"Get dressed. We're going to be late if we don't leave soon." Plagg said lazily as he phased through the door again.

Adrien dressed in a loose T-shirt with his go-to sweats and he was off as Chat jumping towards their meeting place. What was he going to say to her? He swallowed. He had no idea.

Before he could get to their designated meeting place for Wednesdays, he found Ladybug chasing a random thug who had a large bag with him, full of stuff he probably stole from a store. Chat started to tail them, becoming his Lady's unknown backup. This chase was a piece of cake, especially compared to last night's battle, and Ladybug was just about to corner the thug in an alley between two abandoned buildings that was a dead end.

Just as they reached the end of the alley, Ladybug was jumped by two other men, the thug's accomplices.

Shit.

He was a fair distance away because he felt he wasn't needed. Chat ran to the alley as fast as he could and dropped down at the opening. As he approached the group, they hadn't noticed him, too preoccupied. The two men had Ladybug's arms pinned against the wall, one of their hands holding her face against the bricks, her back to them. The third guy that led her to the alley dragged his fingers across her face and down the side of her body as he spoke to her. Chat flared with anger and silently willed his Cataclysm into his hand.

"Well look what we have here. Guess your cat isn't around to protect you tonight, huh? How about we have some fun with you…" Ladybug shivered at his touch, disgusted. She tried to struggle free but the other men held her against the wall, making her whimper. Chat saw red and slapped his hand against the wall that they held her up against. The building came crumbling down. He watched her slip from their grip before the debris started making dust. He was there in a flash, kicked the guy that dared to touch her in his gut, and used the momentum to ricochet towards the other two men. He gripped both of them by their hair and smashed their foreheads together, both of the falling to the ground unconscious.

He then turned to the first guy and kicked him in the chest as he tried to get up. Chat straddled him and started punching him in the face over and over. He couldn't get the image of this sleaze ball touching _his_ Lady. His ears were ringing, but he didn't care. Suddenly his wrist was grabbed by Ladybug as he was pulling back from another swing. He glared back to her, angry she was slowing him down. Her eyes were glazed over with tears.

"C-chat...please stop, he-he's unconscious." He gazed back to the bloodied man who was indeed unconscious. The dirt bag shouldn't be allowed to live. As he tried to punch him again, Ladybug's hold grew stronger, resisting him. Her other hand touched his cheek shakily, turning him to face her.

"P-please Kitty, let's just go." He felt the anger start to wash from him as he stared into her eyes. As much as he wanted to make this guy suffer, she was more important right now.

He scooped her into his arms and jumped away from the alley, heading towards their wrap up spot at the Eiffel tower.

"I...I can walk you know." Her voice was still weak. He warmly replied without looking towards her.

"I know." As he carried her he felt some of the tension leave her, and she rested her head against his shoulder. When they arrived, he sat down with his back against a support beam, and settled her between his legs, his arms wrapped around her waist.

"What are you…" She asked shyly, starting to turn to look at him. He put his forehead against her shoulder and placed his hand on top of her bent knee to show his miraculous that started to beep.

"I'm out of time." Just as he said it his transformation dropped, and he could feel the cool metal against his back through his shirt.

"Hello there, Plagg right? Do you remember where Tikki took you last night?" He felt the vibrations of her voice against him.

"Hi Ladybug, yes I do, though you didn't have any Camembert." Plagg's voice sounded smug. Adrien refused to look at him.

"Sorry, it's not something we carry often, but you're welcome to all the other snacks we have. Go have your fill. I'll take care of him while you're gone." He heard Plagg say his thanks in the distance, already on his way to the bakery no doubt.

"He's gone." Her voice was soft, like she could be broken at any moment. He picked his head up and looked to her. She was keeping her eyes straight ahead, trying not to look at him from the side of her eye.

"Are you okay, m'Lady?" She shook her head, her voice still meek as it drifted back to him.

"You… you scared me today, Kitty." She placed her hands on top of his arm that became more firm against her. He felt dread wash over him.

"I'm so sorry, I got carried away didn't I? I was just so mad that he _touched_ you. He didn't have any right to. You don't deserve that." He felt her shiver as she shook off the unpleasant memory.

"And you saved me, Chat. You proved your point, too. I don't think they'll be a problem for us again." He still felt awful.

"Are… are you going to be okay?" He felt her lean back into his embrace, getting more comfortable.

"Yes, I just need a little time is all. Thank goodness nothing serious happened." A calm silence washed over them, but he could feel the awkwardness start to bubble up in his chest, knowing what he had to say next.

"I'm sorry for last night, m'Lady. I shouldn't have done what I did. You asked me not to and I was irresponsible." She laid her head back against his shoulder, her eyes closed. He felt the warmth spread through his body and she hummed.

"It's okay, Minou… it was nice." God he wanted to kiss her neck so bad. It was right there in front of him, teasing him. But there was something else he had to say.

"But I know there's someone else. You used to mention him. Is he still in the picture?" Adrien couldn't figure out who it was. Definitely someone from their classes in grade school, but does she really talk to many of them anymore?

"Ah yes, he's my classmate, we have every class together this semester. He's one of my closest friends… but I don't think he's ever recognized my feelings. I can tell he's in love with someone else. I still love him, but I accepted years ago that I'm happy with whatever I can be in his life, because I love to see him happy. If he just wants to be best friends, that's enough." The realization hit Adrien like a ton of bricks, and his grip around her loosened from his shock. She was talking about _him._ Marinette was in love with him this whole time. She ignored the advances of Chat in the beginning because she wanted to be with _him,_ with Adrien.

"But as much as I would like to do that again, we shouldn't Chat. Not until we defeat Hawkmoth. It isn't safe for either of us, Tikki says."

He already realized that his love for this woman had doubled today, but honestly it probably just tripled. He could just turn her around and she would know it was him this whole time, that they've been dancing around each other for _years._

Just then Plagg zipped back in front of them, with a decent crumble of cheese he took for the road. He swallowed it in one gulp and then nodded that he was ready.

"Claws out." Adrien said softly and the transformation slowly engulfed him as he was still holding her. She shivered against him as she also felt the transformation's electricity through the suit.

"It's so different from mine." She lightly said with awe. They stood, looking into each other's eyes, and he held her head in both of his hands.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? I don't care if I have class tomorrow. I can stay with you, bugaboo." She smiled fondly as she touched his hand with her own, their foreheads touching.

"I'll be okay, don't worry." He felt so warm being this close to her. He wanted to kiss her so badly. He kissed her forehead instead, and before she was able to protest he stepped back and bowed to her with a flourish.

"Yes m'Lady, it shall be Chat-Noir-business-professional until we defeat him. Until tomorrow, m'Lady." He graciously took her hand and kissed the back of it. She giggled. Giving her a salute as he turned, she waved him off.

As he did his closing patrol, he passed by the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He could see Marinette through her bedroom window, walking across her room and turning off the light, safe and sound.

Soon he was home and crashed into bed after another exhausting day. The one thought he had before he passed out was that he couldn't wait to see her again.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you all so much for your continued interest and patience! I hope everyone had a good New Year and I hope we all stay true to the new things we strive to do this year! Please review and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

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Adrien was groggy as he rushed into his first class with Marinette on Thursday. The text he sent warning her that he woke up late earned him an extra shot of espresso in his latte today. He gratefully took a large gulp as he squared away to hear the introduction to the course. He had no idea how anyone could compile enough information to create a class on "The History of the Ruffle". As much as he enjoyed history classes, he had a feeling he was going to have a tough time this semester with this one.

Glancing over to Marinette, he could tell she wasn't enjoying the syllabus that was being outlined to the class either. She started to bite the tip of her pen out of anxiety. She had a side braid again, but it was in a fishtail style today. Her tank top under her jacket was a Ladybug shade of red and it suited her well. He was grateful that he wouldn't be tortured as much today as he stared down at her jeans. He felt his cheeks heat up at the memory of seeing her thong yesterday…

Just then she glanced over to him and gave him a small smile of understanding and he smiled back. At least his creepy staring could be passed off as exhaustion today.

After what felt like forever, the class had ended and they grabbed a simple lunch at the university's cafe before heading to their next class. Fashion Industry Essentials was simple enough to him, though he was sure that ease came from his father's ties to said industry. Marinette was very attentive during that class, interested on how to put her portfolio together for submitting to different designers in the future.

He loved seeing the fire in her eyes. It was getting easier to see the Ladybug in her.

He had to stifle a yawn that definitely would have been loud enough to get most of the room's attention. Burning the candle at both ends had definitely caught up with him, but he couldn't help but be grateful for it. If he wasn't on the brink of sleep right now, he would be a bundle of nerves around Marinette, probably making a fool of himself by either tripping over something or getting a hard-on. It was amazing how a little piece of information could let so many feelings inside of him loose. His stomach dropped at the realization of what this weekend will bring him. How was he going to control himself around her when he was _wasted_?

The thought plagued him through the rest of the class, and all too soon they were in her car heading home. There was a comfortable silence between them. Well- it used to be comfortable, and probably still was to her. For Adrien it was one of the most anxiety filled car rides of his life. He had to fight his instinct to hold her hand or leave his hand on her knee, because he was not Chat Noir right now and she wasn't Ladybug.

After a few minutes- he would insist it was eternity- they arrived at his mansion.

"D-do you want to come in and study for a bit?" _Please say no. I need a break before I see you for patrol._ He thought to himself.

"Ah, I would like to, but I have something I need to finish this afternoon before patr- I mean, before I go to bed early." He smirked as he heard her slip, his face turned away from her as he looked out of his window. How many times had she slipped and he not notice it before?

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then." He said as he got out of the car, waving her off as she drove down the street.

As he walked into his room, he dropped his bag at the door and kicked off his shoes. Plagg zipped out of his shirt as he crashed onto his bed.

"Careful. You have precious cargo, you know, loverboy." If Adrien had the energy to open his eyes, he would have rolled them.

"You survived." He muttered, his face squished against his pillow. It was time for a much needed nap before dinner and patrol. He needed some energy to keep up the 'Chat-Noir-business-professional' he promised to his Lady.

He had no idea how he was going to pull it off. He had a hard enough time trying to act normal with her during the day.

His dream was filled of his Lady in her spots, moaning his name as he pressed up against her on a rooftop where no one could see them. Her legs were hooked around his waist as he grabbed her ass, pushing her against the bricks. His skin felt on fire in the places where their suits touched. As he grinded her core, he sucked on her neck so hard she was trembling in his arms.

Suddenly he smacked his face as he felt his nose being nipped, and he was staring into Plagg's neon green eyes. He blinked a few times trying to get his bearings.

"They called you for dinner, and I've been trying to wake you for the past ten minutes." Adrien sat up and rubbed his hands over his face, feeling warm and groggy. Bits of his dream trickled back to him, and his hard-on was brought to his attention.

Well shit, that nap was counterproductive.

"Adrien, is everything okay? Are you coming to dinner?" Natalie's muffled voice came through the door.

"Y-Yes! Sorry, I was listening to music. I'll be down in a minute!" Before Plagg could say anything, Adrien grabbed his sweat pants and slammed the bathroom door behind him.

He felt a little relief as it sprang free from the confines of his jeans, but it would have to be dealt with later. He sighed as he pulled his sweats on and readjusted the best he could so it wasn't noticeable.

Okay, all he had to do was eat dinner quickly and he could take care of this before patrol, then try his best to be proper with Ladybug…

"Where are you going in those ratty sweatpants?" Adrien cringed. Of course, _of course_ he had to run into his father the one day he isn't properly dressed for dinner.

"Ah, good evening Father. I was just going to dinner. I felt uncomfortable in my jeans so I'm wearing these." Gabriel's stare was cold and unphased.

"Are they too tight because you're gaining weight?"

"What? No! I eat exactly what you tell me to. I just fell asleep when I got home, so I was wearing them as I slept." Gabriel didn't look convinced. Adrien awkwardly shuffled from one foot to the other.

"Do… do you want to join me for dinner?" Gabriel didn't give it a thought as he turned and started walking away.

"I have no time. I'm working on stuff so I'll be eating in my office." Adrien sighed. He was too used to the response to get upset. He shuffled into the dining room and ate as quickly as possible, while sneaking cheese to Plagg.

He recalled his dream as he relieved himself in the shower. It wasn't the most helpful thing to do before patrol, but he didn't think that leaving it until later would have been any better.

In no time at all he was jumping down onto the rooftop where they usually met on Thursdays. Ladybug was sitting on the ledge, looking out into the city, the lights glowing against the night sky. He sat next to her enjoying the quiet, fighting the itch to touch her.

"Good evening, Chaton." She finally said, voice calm and sleepy sounding. He grinned.

"Evening, m'Lady. Ready to go?" She nodded and they both dropped from the edge of the building in sync. They started running though their patrol route for Thursdays, side by side.

He let the even pace of their running calm him, and he was reminded of how it used to be before he knew who she really was. It made him smile. Though he was changed from the knowledge that he was in love with _both_ of them, underneath it all they were still the same partners, and had an unwavering trust and understanding of each other.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary tonight, and they found themselves at the Eiffel Tower ahead of schedule. As they sat in another comfortable silence side by side, he excitedly realized he was going to get more sleep tonight than the last few days. He looked up to her as she glanced over to him.

"Chat, do you think you can handle patrol tomorrow night alone? I have a… personal night tomorrow." That's the only amount of information they agreed to give each other to protect their identities. Anything could fall under the category from studying for finals to dinners with family. They both agreed to keep the personal nights to a minimal, and to only take them when the reason was important. He gave her a small smile, knowing why she was taking the night off.

"Ah, I actually need to take the night off myself, Bugaboo." She glanced over to him, biting her lip.

"Then, who's going to do patrol?" He shrugged.

"I'm sure Paris will be safe for one night. We have lives, too." Her nod conveyed that she wasn't fully convinced, but she trusted his judgement. He stood up and stretched.

"Alright, I'm going to get the closing sweep done with so I can go to bed. I haven't slept much lately." He couldn't hold back a yawn.

She giggled at it and the gaze she had in her eyes was so loving, he could feel his heart beat in his ears.

"You have to take better care of yourself, Chaton." He looked over to her mockingly.

"Well it would certainly be easier if I didn't have a beautiful Bug running around in my dreams." Her giggle faded off and they both blushed, startled by his comment.

Shit, he's not supposed to say those kind of things.

He brushed it off by doing his usual graceful bow and kissed the back of her hand. He looked up to her, not letting go.

"I hope you have fun on your night off m'Lady." He winked. She gasped, still blushing.

"Y-you too. Goodnight, Chat." He gave her a salute as he jumped away to the next rooftop, and continued to make his closing sweep. Rounding the end of the route, he noticed Marinette on top of her balcony, leaning against the railing, looking out into the city once again.

Well, he was ahead of schedule, right? He gently jumped down behind her. He always wondered how he never startled her when he did so, but being a superhero herself was a pretty good reason.

"Good evening Purrrrincess. What causes you to be up so late? Were you thinking about a shining Chat in armor?" She glanced over her shoulder with a small smile.

"Good evening Chat." She looked ahead again.

"What's the matter, Princess?" He asked hesitantly as he leaned the small of his back and his forearms on the railing next to her. Now that he was closer, he could see the pensive look she unleashed across the cityscape.

"It's really not that big of a deal. I just have a lot going on right now. What about you? What's on your mind?" He leaned more heavily against the railing as he looked up towards the stars.

"Honestly, I have a lot going on too, but right now it's nothing that I can't handle." He turned his face towards her.

"You know Marinette, these talks shouldn't always be about me venting. You can talk to me too." She shyly looked away.

All this time he thought the safe space Marinette gave him to vent, all the warm cups of tea or hot chocolate on cold nights, were because she was just so _nice._ But it wasn't just because of that. It was because she was Ladybug, and Ladybug knew what it was like to be a superhero and how taxing it was to mix it in with everyday life. Ladybug knew he didn't have a mother, and that most of his time at home was very isolated. As much as Ladybug pushed away his advances, she always took care of him as Marinette after most patrols.

"It's just…" She now had her head resting on her forearms, the railing holding most of her weight. He waited patiently for her to continue.

"Life and school is just a lot you know? It is for everyone I guess, but then there's…other things that just add more stress." He nodded. Being Chat and Adrien wasn't easy. It's literally the reason he hasn't gotten much sleep lately.

"My best friend's birthday is tomorrow, and it was so hard figuring out what to give him this year. Nothing really seemed right, you know?" Chat stiffened as she continued.

"So that's been adding even more stress because I always end up making him something and I had to make sure it was finished in time. I went a little ambitious with picking-" Chat cleared his throat before she could continue.

"Uh, Princess. You shouldn't tell me what the gift is." She turned to him confused.

"Why not? It's hard to explain without knowing what it is." Shit. He had to think of something fast.

"B-because! Haven't you ever heard before that it's bad luck to reveal a gift before a birthday?" Her brow furrowed slightly. It was so adorable.

"Yeah…but isn't that for the person receiving the gift?" Crap. She's right.

"Well! Um, better be safe than sorry? Heh." He gave her a goofy smile and she giggled in response. He couldn't hold his loving gaze back as he watched her look up to the stars.

"Do you think he'll like it?" He softly asked. She nodded without looking away from the sky.

"Yeah, I think he will."

The next morning Adrien awoke feeling refreshed. Not only did he get a decent night's rest, but he even got to sleep in a few hours since it was his birthday. No shoots, no school, and no diets. He had plans to celebrate with Marinette, Alya, and Nino later that night, and since the next day was Saturday he was able to convince his father to allow him to stay the night at Nino's.

Plagg zipped over to him once he came out of the bathroom.

"Happy Birthday, Kid. You're still the best Chat I've had by far." Plagg pulled a small tissue paper wrapped ball from behind his back and placed it in Adrien's open palm.

"Plagg, what's this? You've never given me a birthday gift before." Plagg looked away, trying to act like the moment wasn't sentimental.

"Yeah well, I only gift the Chats/Kittens that are worthy." The Kwami crossed his small arms. He looked back to Adrien.

"So you going to open it?" Excited, Adrien carefully unwrapped the small ball of tissue to reveal a shape that was similar to the bottom half of a ying-yang symbol. The inverted dot was neon green. It had a small hole through the top point for a string to be run through. Plagg explained as Adrien took in the detail.

"It's called a Kwagatama. It symbolizes how great a friendship a Kwami has with their holder. We take a hair from the current holder and join it with the hairs of the previous holders. With them, we grow a magic resin for a few months." Adrien looked up to Plagg amazed.

"Woah, you made this? This is so cool, Plagg! I love it." Adrien walked over to his dresser and looked through his jewelry box to see if he had a proper chain.

"Yeah yeah, it's no big deal… Just take care of it, okay?" Adrien found a small chain that was sturdy and high quality. It was long enough for the pendant to be hidden under his collar. He looked at Plagg in the mirror as he put the chain around his neck.

"So…it has the hair of all the previous holders? But you haven't gifted it to everyone?"

"Yes. Some of the other holders…we don't always make it that far." Plagg broke eye contact but didn't move away.

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked as he inspected the pendant, trying to see if he could pick out the hairs of the holders in the texture. Plagg paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully.

"Adrien, there's a reason that a sweet Kwami like Tikki, the essence of creation and luck, was paired with Marinette and I was paired with you." As their eyes met again through the glass of the mirror, Adrien felt the realization harden in his stomach.

Plagg, the Kwami of dark and destruction, paired with himself. He compared his life to Marinette's. How she had two loving parents, how she was the essence of happiness and creativity. His mother was gone, his father couldn't give two shits about him, and he was so lonely most of the time, surrounded by anything he could ever want, but never being happy. If he didn't have Plagg…

"By making it that far, you mean…" Plagg zipped in front of him, looking directly into his eyes.

"Yes, in a few cases it's come to that. Other Chats have sacrificed themselves to save Ladybug in great battle. But don't you see, Adrien? You are so _different_ from them." Adrien tried not to let the water gain territory in his vision.

"Without you Plagg, without being Chat, it would be so much harder to be _happy._ " Plagg floated to his shoulder and sat on his collarbone. Adrien could feel the cat ears graze his neck.

"I know kid, I know." And in that moment, Plagg finally looked vulnerable. Adrien could feel the burden of remembering the previous holders that Plagg kept with him, as his gaze was distant.

"We weren't supposed to talk about this on your birthday of all days." Adrien raised his hand to his neck, holding Plagg to him. Plagg spread his arms across the side of Adrien's neck, completing the tiny hug.

"I know, but I'm so glad we did. Thank you for my birthday gift, Plagg."

Adrien went through his day doing whatever he felt like, without a schedule. It always made him feel slightly off balance to do so, but he reasoned that it was one of the main things that made his birthday feel special. He didn't receive many gifts each year, but a few were guaranteed once he had close friends. There was also something he received from his father every year, but he was certain that Natalie was the one executing the purchase. He always received the same brand pen set, save for the one year he was given a scarf. Adrien looked at it hanging off of a hook on the inside of his closet door that he left open. He always wondered why that year was different. Was it because it was the first birthday without his mom? He slowly spun around in his computer chair.

This birthday was special though. Turning 18 meant he could legally buy alcohol and drink in public places across most of the world. It was a milestone to celebrate and he planned to do so with his best friends. Alya and Nino were coming into town for the weekend. The four of them would eat dinner and hit up a club to have a few drinks, then head back to Nino's to chill and spend the night. It was an awesome coincidence that Nino's parents were vacationing this week so they had the place all to themselves.

Adrien strolled over to his bed and picked up his duffle bag to pack for the night away. He would have to change at Nino's before they went out to avoid questions about his nice outfit as he left the house. He decided on dark jeans and a button up dark grey shirt with a dark green t-shirt underneath. Packing a shirt and sweats to sleep in, his toothbrush, and a handheld game for Plagg, he was all set.

He left the house on his own without a ride from Gorilla forced upon him. Once he was down the block and out of sight of the mansion, he casually stepped into an alley unnoticed. Plagg zipped out of his shirt.

"Did you remember to pack some cheese?" Adrien's nose wrinkled at the thought of the stinky stuff.

"No, that would make my stuff reek. I'm going to order something nice for you at the restaurant, and then take it home. Don't worry." Plagg crossed his arms.

"Well it better be good." Adrien rolled his eyes. It didn't take long for Plagg to go back to his usual demeanor.

"Alright, let's do this before anyone sees. Claws out." He used his baton to vault himself on to the rooftop, and started making his way across the city. Traveling as Adrien alone with no protection was near impossible, especially in daylight. Between the fans and paparazzi, it would take him hours to get to Nino's. He lightly recalled running around town with Marinette in her pajamas, as she helped him elude them to get to the cinema years ago. Traveling as Chat Noir was much easier. As long as he wasn't ripping through the sky, no one should get the wrong impression that there was an akuma around.

Chat almost lost his footing as he landed on the next roof. The ground was shaking and he heard a baby wailing loudly.

Maybe he spoke too soon about there not being an akuma.

After moving a few blocks closer he could clearly see a giant baby sitting in the middle of a large intersection, blocking all kinds of traffic. Chat jumped on top of a truck in the baby's line of sight.

"Seriously May, again? Where's your big brother August? He's supposed to be keeping you happy. What is with this family?" As he muttered the last part to himself, the girl reached out to grab Chat, but he jumped away, back to the rooftops. The baby got up and started following him through the streets. He tried to lead her through the widest areas to avoid the most damage.

"C'mon May! Follow the Kitty!" They were just a few blocks from the park, which would give them a lot of space to work with. When they were just a block away, May got distracted by a street sign that looked similar to a lollipop. There were many civilians in this area.

"Shit. Where are you m'Lady?" He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold off without her lucky charm to tell them what the baby wanted. May started to have a tantrum and stomp around once she realized she couldn't eat the sign. The movement shook the civilians in the surrounding area and Chat's gaze was drawn to a street corner.

 _No wonder she wasn't coming._

Just a few feet away, Nino was trying to control the situation and protect both women that were with him. Alya was trying to drag Nino towards May, phone in hand, ready to record the situation for the Ladyblog. The site was still up and running despite the lack of live footage due to her living in another town. Nino had a firm grip on her arm, not allowing her to do what she wanted and get into trouble. His other hand was gripped firmly around Marinette's arm as she tried to walk in the opposite direction of Alya, no doubt trying to get away so she could transform. Adrien shook his head. It was always the hardest to sneak away from Nino and Alya, and he was glad there was someone to understand what that felt like.

He jumped down in front of the group, which gained their attention. Both women's eyes were determined and ready for battle, and Nino was on the verge of losing it from dealing with both of them.

"Um, hey guys. Think you could help a superhero out?"

"Chat Noir! Yes we certainly can! Isn't that right, Nino?" Alya excitedly responded as she held out the camera at a 'selfie' angle to make sure everyone was being recorded. Nino rolled his eyes at the recording shenanigans and looked at Chat.

"Yeah Dude, we're happy to help." Chat quickly glanced over to Marinette who just nodded dumbly, trying to hide her confusion. Surely she was questioning what he needed them for.

"Alya, I need you to go record the situation. You know, for the Ladyblog." Alya's eyes lit up with inspiration.

" _What?"_ Nino seethed.

"From a _safe_ vantage point!" Chat quickly added. "Nino will be going with you to make sure you don't get into trouble."

"Psh, trouble? When have I gotten into that?" A few memories of Alya being taken as hostage by akumatized victims flashed in Chat's mind, and he could tell from the looks of the other two they were recalling similar events. Alya brushed it off, turning to Marinette.

"Marinette! Come with us!" Marinette looked thrown off as she tried to respond.

"I, um…"

"I need her to help me with something else." Everyone looked to him to continue. "I need her to help me find Ladybug." He finished as he looked at her.

"...What?" She responded dumbfounded.

"Ladybug. She's not here, she hasn't come. I need help finding her…she might be in trouble?" He didn't sound as confident at the end of his statement as he wanted to be, but Alya and Nino bought it.

"Alright, we're off. We hope you can find her." Alya said pulling Nino away.

"We'll call you if we see her first!" Nino shouted before they were out of earshot. Marinette turned back to Chat, confused.

"You…think I can help you find Ladybug?" Her voice grew slightly suspicious. Chat cleared his throat.

"Yes? Just um…here, let me take you to the rooftop." He put her arm around his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her waist, his other hand holding his baton. Getting the message, she wrapped both her arms around his neck and the baton vaulted them to a nearby rooftop. They didn't let each other go at first, and then awkwardly broke apart. Chat scratched the back of his neck.

"Heh. So yeah, this should be a high enough place." Marinette looked around and raised an eyebrow as she glanced back to Chat.

"For what? I don't know if I'm able to help you Chat, I should probably be helping Alya and Nino." He grabbed her hand as she started to walk away, across the rooftop. The ground started to shake again. May was on the move.

"No! Um, you can definitely help me find her! This is a high vantage point so you should be able to spot her! I have to deal with the baby now, but when you see her please tell her to meet me at the park. That's where I'm trying to lead the baby to. Once you do so, please get yourself to safety." He squeezed her hand and then vaulted away in May's direction.

Smooth. Real smooth, Agreste. That sounded totally convincing. And what was with squeezing her hand? He shook his head to rid himself of the thought as he approached May again.

"Hey, May! Want to play follow the kitty again? Bet you can't catch me!" Chat saw Hawkmoth's sigil around the baby's eyes and suddenly the baby was chasing him, faster than before. Chat lead them to the park once again, trying not to get caught in the baby's grasp.

Finally making it to the park, Chat took a breath of relief. Ladybug should be here any second and-

Suddenly he was scooped up and swung away by Ladybug on her yo-yo before May could step on him.

"Thanks for coming, m'Lady. I was worried you were going to leave me babysitting alone." She winked at him.

"Just had to make a pit stop first. Lucky Charm!" A large photo of a 5 year old August in a red frame with black spots dropped into her hands.

"She wants August? Where is he?" Ladybug looked up to him. Chat shrugged.

"Actually, that was the first thing I asked her." They both looked up to May who found herself fascinated with the tops of the trees on the edges of the clearing, lightly brushing her hand over them.

"It will be easier to find him once we purify the akuma. Where do you think it is this time?"

"She doesn't have much on her from what I saw this whole time. It might just be in her bib again." Chat explained. Ladybug squinted as she took in her surroundings and he could tell she was cooking up a plan.

"Need me to be a distraction, m'Lady?" She turned to him, smiling. It was so beautiful, his breath hitched.

"Well, it is one of the things that you do best." He readied to vault himself in May's direction, then turned back to look at her.

"Just don't get distracted yourself." He winked. He could see the blush spread across her cheeks just at the bottom edge of her mask. He chuckled and vaulted away.

"Oh May! Is that baddie Hawkmoth talking to you again?" The sigil disappeared from the baby's face once more and she looked to him with renewed vigor. He kept her in one place, going back and forth in front of her as she tried to grab him.

At one point he ducked and realized too late he should have sprinted in the other direction. She grabbed him, his arms outside of her grip. She brought him closer to her face.

"C'mon, May. Don't you want to share some cookies with your favorite pal, Chat Noir? Why don't you tell Hawkmoth 'pfffffffft' and we can go have some fun?" Chat stuck out his tongue and looked as goofy as possible. The baby started laughing.

Ladybug was there in a flash, on May's shoulder, untying the bib. As it floated down to him he called out.

"CATACLYSM!" As the bib fell past his hands it disintegrated into ashes, and a dark butterfly escaped. It was caught instantly by Ladybug's yo-yo and a white butterfly fluttered away. She threw the picture of August in the air and yelled.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!". The swarm of ladybugs flew through the city repairing all the damage done since the akuma appeared. May shrunk down to a normal size and landed in Chat's arms. He started to rock her gently.

"MAY! Oh my goodness, May!" The mother of May and August came rushing towards them. Chat handed her over.

"Hey, June. She's safe, don't worry." The woman smiled to both superheros.

"Thank you oh so much. I'm sorry you have to help this family out so much. The kids have heavy tempers like their father." She held May close to her. Ladybug shook her head.

"It's no trouble at all. We love getting to see these little ones grow up so fast." She cooed the end of her sentence, poking May on the nose. The baby giggled. It was so adorable Chat felt like his heart would burst. Ladybug's look became a bit serious as she looked back up to June.

"Is everything okay with August? The lucky charm showed a picture of him." The woman nodded.

"Yes. He was just staying at his grandparents for the week and May hasn't seen him in a few days. I think that's what she got upset over." Ladybug smiled.

"Oh, good. We're glad he's okay. Tell him we both said hi. Right, Chat?" She glanced over to him and he grinned wide.

"Of course, and it was good to see you too May, though I wish it was under better circumstances." Chat gave the baby a goofy face and she giggled. The duo waved them off as June walked away after thanking them once again.

"See, m'Lady? There can't be a day where I don't see you." Chat smirked. Ladybug shoved at his shoulder.

"Yeah well, I need a break eventually." She responded playfully. Her miraculous started to beep. Chat grabbed her hand before she could pull it away from him and leaned towards her.

"You could stay." He whispered. She blushed, looking away. He gently let go of her hand and chuckled.

"Just kidding. I'll see you tomorrow, m'Lady. Have a good evening off!" He vaulted away as his own miraculous started to beep. He was close to Nino's and could still cover the distance as Chat if he rushed. Before he was too far away he could hear Ladybug call out to him that she would get him back, and he laughed into the air, truly enjoying his birthday.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello all! Once again I need to say a BIG thank you to all that reviewed. I almost never review unless a piece really moved me, (something I will try to do more so now that I've been on the writing side of it) so to see your comments on things that you liked, advice to help me out, and the encouragement to keep going is really what inspires me to write more and more. To the people that have followed, THERE HAVE BEEN MORE THAN 200 OF YOU THAT HAVE HIT THAT BUTTON! Something I cannot believe, because that means that at least this many people have read this story and that just blows my mind. To the people that have favorited, THERES OVER 100 OF YOU THAT HAVE HIT THAT BUTTON! Now personally, I only favorite a story once I finished it AND it is something I want to archive to read again because I truly enjoyed it. So for so many of you to favorite it, before it's even finished is truly an honor. So thank you all for your support!

As for the chapter. It was originally longer, but seeing the length while knowing I wasn't fully done with the content, I decided to break it into two chapters. Which is the same thing I did to the previous chapter. It is pretty funny that I expected Adrien's birthday to just be one chapter, and now it's turning into a three-parter, but I'm really enjoying it. Unfortunately that made this chapter shorter than I would have liked, but felt I cut it off at the right point. Hopefully it won't be as long before the next chapter, since it's mostly written, but it may take time for my editor to look over it. She was only able to look over half of this chapter, but I didn't want to leave you hanging any longer, especially with Valentine's Day so near! So I expect to be updating edits in the future. I hope you all enjoy it, and any of you that do not have a Valentine this year to not dwell on such a thing because loving yourself is the most important thing you can do in your life. (I know it's sappy but sush) So please take the day to not only appreciate the ones you love, but YOURSELF as well. Treat yourself to something you like or take a nice long me-time session.

Hope you enjoy! Let me know your thoughts!

* * *

A few minutes later, Chat arrived to the apartment building where the Lahiffe family lived. He jumped down into the alley on the side of the building just as his transformation dropped. Adrien quickly walked into the lobby to avoid any other civilians. He surmised that Nino and Alya wouldn't have made their way over yet because of all the commotion. They also couldn't jump over rooftops with no traffic in their way like he could…

He was knocked forward and landed on the floor, face first. He could feel the weight of the person press into his back and he gasped from the wind being knocked out of him.

"Oh my god Adrien! I'm sorry!" Marinette said as she scrambled to get off of him. He turned around and saw her picking up the various things she dropped. There was a metallic light blue wrapped package with a bow, along with her backpack and her purse. "Happy birthday! I'm really sorry again; I don't know how that happened." She had a light blush across her cheeks from embarrassment. It was adorable. He offered his hand to her once she grabbed everything and helped them stand together, chuckling.

"It's okay Marinette. It's not the first time you _dropped_ in." He winked at her and she blushed deeper hitting his shoulder. He couldn't help let the pun slip, still in Chat-mode.

"Alya and Nino will never believe you because I'm totally not a clutz anymore." She responded playfully with a small smile. Adrien grabbed her hand before she could pull it away from him and leaned towards her.

"Don't worry, I won't tell." He whispered. Taken off guard, her mouth fell open slightly and she looked to him thoughtful, like something she wanted to say was on the tip of her tongue.

Crap. He literally just did that to her a few moments ago as Chat. She's totally going to figure it out. He should say something-

"Hey guys, did you see the akuma action?!" Alya's excited voice echoed to them through the tiled lobby. Nino looked a little worse for wear by her side. He held up the hand that wasn't holding Alya's in greeting.

"Dudes. I see you beat us here. Sorry, we ended up helping Chat Noir with the akuma." Adrien nodded and shared a fist bump with him when he got close enough.

"Not a problem, we just got in a few minutes ago." The girls shared a hug.

"Marinette, did you find Ladybug for Chat?" Alya asked as they parted. Marinette scrambled for an answer.

"Oh! Um, yes I did, she was on her ways anyway? I just pointed her in the direction Chat wanted me to." She quickly replied as they all started walking to the elevator. Inside, both Alya and Nino gave Adrien a hug, wishing him a happy birthday.

A few minutes later they walked into the apartment. The front door opened into the decent sized living room that took up most of the open space, where the remaining rooms and hallways to the apartment branched off of it. The wall that separated the living room from the kitchen was only half high, so Adrien could see the countertops and cabinets inside. Nino's family had a decently large TV, with a medium large couch in front of it, with two smaller couches on each side, squaring off that area from the rest of the room. Adrien sat on the couch in front of the TV, Nino went to the kitchen to assess what they had, and the girls disappeared down the hall to the bathroom.

"We can pick up some beers and stuff to drink for when we come back." Nino called to him from the kitchen, his head coming in and out of view through the opening.

"Okay." Adrien responded as he kicked his feet up, scrolling through social media. The girls came from down the hall, chatting away. Alya walked into the kitchen while Marinette took a seat next to Adrien on the couch. She laid back heavily as a sigh escaped her.

"Man, what a day." He glanced to her and she had her eyes closed. He chuckled.

"Busy at the bakery this morning?" She groaned in response.

"Extremely. Like the busiest this week. If you were there I would have probably threw an apron on you." She laughed. "Well, if it wasn't your birthday I would have." He smiled.

"I still would have helped out. Though it does seem overwhelming." She smiled back. Alya walked out of the kitchen with Nino close behind.

"So reservation's at six, then we're heading to the club right after. We should start getting ready! I'm so excited." Adrien was excited too. It was the first time they were really going out-out. The girls went to the guest room to change together, Nino took his parent's room and Adrien took Nino's room. Plagg zipped out of his pocket when the coast was clear. He floated around Nino's room looking at the posters on his wall.

"You know Plagg, when we get back you can spend the night with Tikki. You don't have to stay cooped up in the room playing games." Adrien said as he started changing.

"What about Marinette?" Plagg asked. Adrien pulled the dark green T-shirt over his head, and started buttoning the grey shirt half way up on top of it.

"She'll be busy with us, I'm sure she won't notice Tikki is not in the same room. You two deserve some time together. It must suck being apart but being so close at the same time. Probably ten times worse than how I feel." Plagg nodded.

"It would be nice to catch up with her. I'll go see if I can sneak by and tell her now so she can just let Marinette know she'll be close by later." Plagg phased through the door into the hall. Adrien looked at himself in the mirror, checking out his outfit. He could see the chain for the pendant Plagg gave him just poking out of the collar of his shirt, and wrapping around his neck. He wondered if Marinette wore hers the same way. Thinking back, he couldn't really think of her distinctly wearing a necklace.

He took out a small jar of gel and slightly styled his hair, not wanting to go over the top. Just a little more definition to his spikes should be fine. The dark jeans and leather shoes he had tied the whole outfit together. It felt so nice to dress up for something the way he wanted, and not the way he was forced to. Plagg phased through the door again.

"It took a minute to get her attention without Marinette noticing, but she's very excited to spend some time alone and sends her thanks." Adrien smiled.

"It's really not a big deal, you both can do that whenever Marinette and I are together... which is a lot."

"I wish you two would just make out already." Plagg said, his tone even.

"Plagg!" Adrien whisper-yelled and swatted at him. Plagg flew out of his reach and laughed. A knock was heard at the door.

"Adrien?" Marinette's muffled voice came through the door.

"Y-you can come in." He responded as he held his jacket open for Plagg, who flew in instantly. Marinette came into the room and Adrien was flabbergasted at how adorably sexy she looked. She wore a light pink skater skirt that flowed around her hips and ended about mid thigh, with a black crop top that was shoulderless with long sleeves that hugged her body. She had black ankle booties with a medium heel. Her hair was in a half up french braid. Her makeup was more bold than usual, but not over the top.

"What is it?" She asked shyly.

"That…looks really good on you, Marinette. You're beautiful." He quietly responded. He couldn't hide the loving look in his eyes. He felt his face heat up as he saw a blush spread across hers. He scratched the back of his neck, a goofy and shy smile spreading across his lips.

"Y-you look good too, Adrien. Not that you don't look good all the time. Not that I'm looking at you all the time!" She looked mortified and he chuckled, remembering how she was with him when they first met. He could understand now that she wasn't just a shy girl, she loved him this whole damn time. He crossed the room and wrapped her in a hug, her arms tucked inside his embrace, her hands laid on his chest.

"It's okay. Marinette." He couldn't stop his amusement as she looked up to him, her face adorably pouty. "It's good to know for once that I actually look good. No one ever tells me." He continued with a wink. She rolled her eyes and thumped his chest with one of her hands.

"Marinette did you get Adrien? Is he ready to-" Alya appeared in the doorway wearing high-rise black pants with an orange turtleneck crop top, along with black sandal heels. Adrien broke away from Marinette as she scrambled to do the same, looking away from him. Adrien coughed awkwardly.

"Hey Alya. Nice outfit. Yes, I'm ready to go. Where's Nino?" He couldn't help saying all of it a little too fast. Alya raised an eyebrow, but continued to talk.

"He's ordering the PickUp, he has the best rating. I apparently sing loudly when I get too drunk." Nino appeared by her side.

"Hey guys, the PickUp should be here in about ten minutes, so we should make our way down." He wore a fitted, navy button up shirt with dark jeans and similar shoes to Adrien's. Everyone gathered what they needed and headed down. They only waited a few minutes for the PickUp to arrive. Nino took the shotgun seat while the girls and Adrien sat in the back, Marinette sitting in the middle. It was hard to make space to not be pressed up against her, but it seemed she was making the effort to give him space as well.

"So where are we going to dinner Alya?" Adrien asked as he looked out the window. Alya made the reservation and kept it a secret to everyone, even Nino.

"I told you, it's a surprise for your birthday!" Alya replied amused. Nino turned back to them.

"She won't even tell me dude. She hid in the bathroom when she put the address in my phone for the PickUp." Marinette giggled. He felt a spark through his heart at the sound. He smiled out the window. It was happening every time she did that now.

A few minutes later they pulled up to Le Grand Paris. Nino got out of the passenger side and held the door open for Alya, while Adrien opened his door and held his hand out for Marinette. She took it feigning smugness, and used his help to get out. They walked to the entrance together, the girls next to each other with the guys at their sides.

"Alya, you made the reservation here? This is crazy!" Marinette said excited. Alya nodded while adjusting her glasses.

"Yup. Took some time, but between my mom and…Chloé, we got it done." Adrien looked over to Alya.

"Chloé? Isn't she in New York with her mom and Sabrina?" He asked. Marinette nodded looking to Alya.

"She is. It took a few rounds of phone tag to arrange this, but she was decently cooperative. Especially when she heard it was for your birthday." Alya responded as they stepped into the elevator. Nino pressed the button for the sixth floor. Adrien smiled. Chloé has definitely matured over the years but she still could be difficult at times. He was happy that the two girls could get along to put something together, for him no less.

"I'll have to thank her." He said fondly.

"Not until tomorrow, after you've seen everything." Alya stated as they stepped off the elevator. The restaurant was decently full with the soft babble of people reaching his ears. The lights were a soft glow on the white tablecloths along with the candles scattered about the room, a few on each table. Alya grabbed Nino's hand and started pulling him towards the hostess stand.

"We're a little early, so we're going to check if the table is ready. We'll meet you at the bar." As they walked away, Adrien felt the nervousness settle in as he was left alone with Marinette. She seemed comfortable as she grabbed his arm and gently started pulling him towards the bar.

"Shall we order your first legal drink?" She mused. The bar was fairly full and only had one chair available, so Adrien held it out for her and Marinette took a seat, gaining the bartender's attention. He was just a bit older than them, fit and very attractive with dark hair and brown eyes. Adrien surmised he got a good amount of tips from his appearance. He gave Marinette a smile before addressing Adrien.

"Hey man, what can I get for you guys?" He placed two cocktail napkins on the bar. Adrien looked across the selection.

"I haven't given it much thought yet." He responded. What should his first drink be? He mostly ever drank beer with Nino, wine with his dad at social events, but the atmosphere felt like it called for liquor, which he had no idea what he even liked.

"It's his first legal drink." Marinette commented helpfully. The bartender smiled.

"Well, Happy Birthday then. Would you like a suggestion?" Adrien shook his head.

"Thank you. And you can surprise me, I trust your judgement." The bartender nodded.

"And for the lady?" He asked turning to Marinette. She smiled shyly.

"I can take a surprise too, if that's alright." The bartender smirked as he started grabbing what he needed.

"I know just the thing, coming right up." He first poured an amber liquid into a short stemmed cocktail glass filled with ice as he squirted something from the soda gun and placed it on Adrien's napkin. He then filled a straight, tall glass with ice. He poured two different clear liquids simultaneously, then topped it off with orange juice, and then a squirt of cranberry from the soda gun. Garnished with straw, orange slice and a cherry, he placed the peachy drink in front of Marinette.

Adrien and Marinette tried their drinks. He tasted a strong liquor with a hint of sour to offset the bitter taste. It wasn't the most pleasant flavor, as most alcohol wasn't, but he felt it was a good drink that could grow on him and be a go-to for future times. He watched Marinette's eyes light up as she tasted her drink and could hear a light hum from her lips around the straw. Adrien nodded his appreciation to the bartender who was awaiting their opinion.

"I like this, what is it?" He asked, Marinette nodded in agreement.

"You have a whisky sour." He motioned to Adrien with a tilt of his chin. "If you're ever looking to be on the sweeter side, you could always order an amaretto sour instead." He helpfully added. He motioned to Marinette.

"I gave the lady a 'sex on the beach'." He winked at Adrien. Adrien felt his face heat up as he heard Marinette's surprised gasp as she choked a little on her drink. He tried to hide his embarrassment by fishing out his wallet to pay.

"Don't worry about it Mister Agreste, it's on me." The bartender waved him off. Caught slightly off guard that the bartender knew who he was but didn't address it in the beginning, Adrien fished out a twenty dollar bill and placed it on the bar.

"Thank you, please keep this for yourself then." The bartender smiled and nodded, taking the twenty off of the bar saying his thanks kindly. Nino came up to them, standing next to Adrien.

"Table's ready dudes. Alya's already there." He motioned in the direction of the dining room with a tilt of his chin. Adrien stepped away from Marinette's chair to give her room and held his hand out to her to help her down. She took it as the other hand held on to her drink. When he noticed he didn't let go right away once she was settled, he nervously pulled his hand back with an awkward smile, which she gave with a shy one in return. They followed Nino through the dining room, to the very back and through a door which Adrien recognized lead to the private dining room for the Bourgeois family.

The room was full of set tables that were devoid of people, except the table off to the side where he found Alya sitting. The room was more dimly lit than the full dining room, with candles on each table, giving the area a calm glow. Nino sat across from his girlfriend, Adrien sat next to him, and Marinette sat next to Alya across from him. They had full settings in front of them with multiple forks, multiple wine glasses along with a shorter glass filled with water for each of them. There was a basket with ample enough bread next to the candle in the center. To his pleasant surprise there was a small dish of camembert next to the bread. He made sure to put some on his bread plate so it was more easily accessible to sneak to Plagg.

As they all settled in, the waiter came over to introduce himself.

"Good evening, my name is Damien and I'll be taking care of you tonight. Happy Birthday Mister Agreste." Adrien nodded his thanks, a little shy from all the personal attention.

"Your dinner this evening was carefully selected and paired with specific wines by our head chef, Mrs. Césaire. So please enjoy, and let me know if there's anything you need." The group thanked him and the waiter stepped away to give them some space. He lingered about the room and moved in and out of the kitchen, always accessible to the group.

They chatted for a bit, Adrien and Marinette finishing their drinks before the first course. Wine was described and poured for them just a few minutes before each course to give them time to taste them before the food arrived. The dinner was made up of all of his favorites, something he realized was personally compiled for him and took a lot of time and effort between each of his friends and Alya's mom.

He was so grateful to receive such a gift and could not believe he had friends that loved him so much to give him such a great birthday. He knew he was feeling extra sentimental from the buzz he was having from the alcohol. His whole body felt warm and tingly, and he could tell from the frequent giggles and smirks from the others that they were feeling it too.

He kept staring at Marinette each time she smiled, but he couldn't bring himself to hold back. In the back of his mind he hoped it wasn't noticeable, but he felt too mellow to truly worry about it.

As they enjoyed desert, Alya's mom came out of the kitchen to ask how everything went and to wish Adrien a Happy Birthday. Everyone expressed they adoration and thankfulness. Adrien stood and gave Marlena a hug, saying it was the best meal he had in ages, and he would never forget it.

When they finished desert and each of them made a quick trip to the bathroom, they started gathering everything to leave. Adrien looked around for waiter or staff but couldn't find anyone.

"Something wrong Adrien?" Marinette asked.

"I'm just looking for the bill." He replied as he leaned over, trying to get a better look into the kitchen.

"Oh no Agreste. It is your birthday. We have the bill taken care of, and I told them to not bring it out, so you couldn't do this." Alya said sternly. Adrien looked over to her shocked.

"Alya, you can't expect me to be okay with you all paying for this dinner. I made sure I had cash on me so my father wouldn't see a charge. I can't allow you to make such an expense." Nino put his arm around Alya's shoulders.

"Seriously dude, don't worry about it. We all chipped in, even Chloé." Marinette nodded as she stepped closer to him, placing her hand on the center of his back between his shoulder blades. It felt so warm having it there.

Adrien stubbornly accented the fate of the bill, making a mental note that he'll get a hold of the one at the club to make up for it.

They all piled into the PickUp in the same seats as before with Adrien sitting next to Marinette. He noticed that even though they were more cautious before, now their thighs were pressed against each other, the ride feeling more comfortable. He stretched his arm across the back of the seat the three of them were on, and he felt her arm press against his side. She didn't seem to mind as she continued telling Alya and Nino about the horrible class they had on ruffles, without interruption. It felt nice to have her so close without any anxiety. He could feel the vibration of her laughter spread through him and he smiled.

His night was only just beginning, and he couldn't ask for better company.


	7. Chapter 7

Hello all! I'm so happy to finally post chapter 7! I'm sorry it's taking a bit, but it isn't easy to get a hold of my editor, she's working her butt off for that masters degree. I really really really hope you enjoy this chapter, please let me know what you think! I've always had an idea of where this story was going, but after hearing predictions and questions from my editor (she only knows as much as you do), I have it more fleshed out now. But with all of that being said, I'm predicting to upload monthly until she's back home for summer break. Enjoy! Leave me a review with what you think! :)

P.S. Cristal is real, you can google it. I was surprised by my boyfriend with it for one of our anniversaries and it was amazing:)

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It was only a short ride to the club. Marinette was slightly unsteady as she stepped out of the car, probably not used to wearing heels along with her buzz. Adrien kept his hand on the small of her back as they walked to the back of the line to get in. The four decided not to cut the line to bring less attention to Adrien being out in public. The last thing they needed was for Gabriel to find out what they were doing via the paparazzi.

The line moved fairly quickly and they were inside in just a few minutes, the bouncer wishing him a happy birthday as he handed Adrien back his ID. The club was dark with different colored lights shining against clouds of fog on the dance floor. The bar area was also glowing in different colors as they cycled through on the wall behind the shelves. Adrien could tell that the wall was textured and when it glowed with blue light, it reminded him of a waterfall. There were lounge booths with short tables sectioned off with red ropes on the outer edges of the club. He could see a few upstairs from where he was standing, the upper level having a full view of the dance floor.

The first thing they did was go to the bar as a group. They had to squeeze through to be waited on, Adrien and Nino placing the drink order with the girls behind them. Adrien ordered another whisky sour and sex on the beach for himself and Marinette, while Nino ordered a Jack and coke for himself and a cosmo for Alya. Though the bar was crowded and the music loud, Adrien could still distinctly hear two girls talking to each other, just a few feet behind him.

"See Amelia, I told you! That is Adrien Agreste!" As the hairs on the back of his neck stood, he tried to not acknowledge them to prove she was correct. He could tell the others heard it too, looking in their direction.

"Shush Sarah! He's going to hear you! We won't get a chance to dance with him if he sees you acting like this." He felt Marinette step closer to him and noticed a sinister look flash in Alya's eyes. Nino was distracted paying for the drinks.

Adrien was forced to keep gaze towards the bar, though he felt uncomfortable. He wanted to walk away and sink into the darkest corner. They weren't even there ten minutes and he was noticed. Why can't he just once have a fun night out with his friends? His eyes met with the bartender's and it seemed that she noticed, her gaze glancing in the direction of the two girls for just a second. Instead of handing them their drinks, she placed them on a black circular tray.

"I'm coming around the bar. Please follow me." As she made her way across the back of the bar, she said something quickly to the other bartender and he nodded in return. Adrien and Nino lead the girls to the end of the long bar where they met up with the bartender. She was wearing black jeggings and a short black apron with a dressy black tank top, showing off her large chest with a lot of cleavage. She was fairly tall having a few inches on Alya, but still shorter than Nino.

"Follow me." She said loudly over her shoulder as she started walking with the tray of drinks. She lead them up the short set of stairs to the VIP lounge area on the first floor. They passed some occupied, but many empty booths, rounding a corner when she got to the last one. Since it was all the way at the end, Adrien didn't notice that the last booth in the row wasn't against the back wall of the club and that there was a hallway down the side.

It was a short hallway, closed off by another red rope that she had to open for them to step through. Another booth the same as the rest was nestled just behind where the last booth ended, and he could see there were a set of bathrooms along the same wall. There was a cylindrical light on the table, glowing a soft blue. The bartender motioned for the group to sit, placing the tray on the table. The three of them settled into the booth, while Adrien hesitated.

"Ma'am, we weren't expecting to have bottle service tonight." She nodded as she dispersed the drinks and took the tray back.

"I know, but this will be the best way for you to enjoy your night, Mister Agreste. No one realizes that there's a private booth and bathrooms back here, so you shouldn't have anyone bothering you." She raised her wrist that had a small electronic bracelet around it, looking similar to a step counter, and held it up to the light on the coffee table. After a moment both the light and the small digital screen on her bracelet glowed green.

"Don't worry, I'm not expecting you to order bottles. I can't stand seeing someone's night ruined just because they're a little famous. You won't be holding this booth from other VIPs as you saw that there's many more out there. Hit this button when you'd like to order your next round and I'll be over as soon as I can." She pointed to the button on the base of the light, then motioned to her bracelet with a small smile. She called for them to enjoy their evening over her shoulder as she walked away, making sure the rope was secured behind her. Adrien settled down next to Marinette, still surprised by the bartender's kindness.

"Dude, this is so cool!" Nino said as he held out his drink. The others picked theirs up and joined his in the middle, clinking the glasses.

"To Adrien! Happy Birthday, man." Alya and Marinette joined in unison.

"To Adrien!" They giggled.

"Thanks guys. I still can't believe we're getting to do this." Adrien responded as they all took sips of their drinks. His tasted slightly different from the one he had earlier, but he guessed that they used different whisky. He could still feel a slight buzz from dinner but it was definitely lighter than before.

As they drank their first round, they caught up some more, unfortunately not being able to see each other lately. Nino just landed a DJ gig in Italy for a high-end celebrity. His manager scouted him out by asking his professor for recommendations of any students that had potential. Alya had written an article on Ladybug and Chat Noir's fight with Chameleon and it was being reviewed to be featured in a local paper early next week. A currently popular song by XY came on and Alya started swaying in her seat to the music.

"Ooh, I really like this song! Finish your drink Marinette! We'll go to the bathroom and then hit that dance floor!" Marinette quickly downed the rest of her drink, being the last in the group to finish. Adrien hit the button on the lamp and it turned red.

"I'll order the next round. You all fine with the same?" The girls nodded and headed to the ladies room giggling, trying not to trip over each other. Nino stood a minute after.

"You know, bathroom sounds like a good idea. Especially because I know Alya is going to drag me out there." He fist bumped Adrien as he passed, making his way down the hall. The bartender came to the booth just a moment later.

"Ready for another round, Mister Agreste?" She smiled. He shook his head.

"Please, call me Adrien. I was wondering if you had a bottle list." The girl pulled a tall, thin menu from her apron and handed it over.

"Like I said, please don't feel pressured to order a bottle. I'm not going to get in trouble or anything if you don't." She said and Adrien waived it off, opening the thin black book.

"It's fine. We're celebrating something anyways." He started looking through the list. He wanted something that was going to be close to the amount they spent on his dinner.

"Oh really? What are you celebrating?" She responded interested. Adrien checked over his shoulder to see if anyone was coming back yet.

"It's actually my birthday. You wouldn't happen to have a bottle of Cristal on hand, would you? I know it's not on the list, but it usually isn't." She looked a little surprised by the name of the bottle.

"Cristal? I'll have to check the back. We might have to chill it if we have it. You sure that's okay? I also have Prosecco, which is much more affordable." He nodded.

"Yes, please don't worry about it, it's fine. Just make sure I get the bill if you don't mind? They already got away with paying for my dinner." He smirked and she laughed.

"You got it Mister- I mean, Adrien. My name's Julie by the way, not sure if I mentioned." She reached out her hand and he shook it.

"You didn't, but it's a pleasure. I really appreciate what you did for us tonight. I don't get to go out and enjoy the town often. It's also refreshing to have conversations with people who aren't starstruck." She shrugged in response.

"Don't get me wrong, I know who you are and am grateful for the opportunity to meet you, but I can just imagine how daunting that would be after a while. You're human too. Anyways, I'll check on that bottle. Do you want another round in the meantime?" He nodded.

"That would be great, thank you." She was gone in a flash, just as the others started walking over. Alya was already clinging to Nino's arm and Adrien could tell there was no way he'd ever escape. Just as they we about to fully pass him, Alya grabbed his arm with her other hand, starting to drag both boys to the dance floor, Marinette trailing close behind.

"Woah! Alya!" Adrien exclaimed as he tried to regain balance. Marinette giggled next to him and he gave her a look as if she just sold him out.

"Aren't you going to help me get out of this?" He asked playfully. She continued to laugh and shook her head.

"No way, I want to dance!" She grabbed his other hand and pulled him fully onto the dance floor as Alya let go. As the four of them weaved through the swarm of people to get to a better spot, it got increasingly crowded. He supposed it would prevent him from get noticed, which was good. Marinette turned to say something to him but was bumped by someone behind her, pushing her up against him, her hands landing on his chest and his hands automatically grabbing her hips to keep her steady.

Well, this was good too. He guessed crowds aren't that bad after all.

She shyly smiled and wrapped her arms over his shoulders, hands hanging behind his neck, and started swaying her hips to the music. Adrien kept his hands on her hips and moved with her. It was definitely not the type of dancing he's ever done, so it felt a little awkward at first, but the whisky was really starting to hit him now. He let his body take control, not worrying about what he was doing. There was a small amount of space in between them, but the distance kept closing in as they moved, and he couldn't ignore how her chest brushed against his.

Between feeling her hips sway under his hold and the vibration of the bass going through him, Adrien couldn't help but feel warmth tingle everywhere. He then made the worst decision he could possibly make in that moment.

His gaze locked with hers.

She looked so confident and sexy, he felt himself stiffen in his pants. There she was, his Lady. Not in a skintight suit, but in something flowy, equally sexy and adorable, just inches from him, swaying to the beat. He didn't need his suit to feel electricity where they touched.

She smirked, making him come out of his thoughts. He gave a sly smile in return and pulled her in closer, her body pressing up against his. She laughed in response, her head dipping back. He was so close, he couldn't stop himself from bowing his head down next to her neck and breathing in her scent. He felt her breath hitch and she held onto him a little tighter, his arms winding and overlapping around her waist in response. They were so close, their stances overlapped, each of them straddling the other's thigh. He couldn't think of a time he felt more heated up around her.

She picked her head back up and he was met with her gaze again, their noses just touching. All he wanted to do in that moment was kiss her. Chat-Noir-Business-Professional be damned. Protecting secrets to save the world be damned. She was his Lady and he wanted that officially in every sense of the word.

He could see it too, the way her gaze softened and her chin tilted up to fill the height distance. She wanted to kiss him too.

Another person bumped into them and their cheeks collided with each other instead, her forehead coming to rest on his shoulder. She kissed his cheek and turned around in his hold, continuing to sway against him along with the pounding music. He could feel her skirt swish against her thighs as her ass rubbed against his crotch. His hands rested on her hips once again, grinding along with her rhythm.

It was so easy to fall into sync with her. It was so easy to do _everything_ with her. He just wanted to whisk her away, transform and chase her across rooftops in the night breeze.

Who knew he'd miss patrol so much on his one night off?

After a bit more dancing, Nino tapped his shoulder, signaling that they were heading back for a break. Adrien lead Marinette through the crowd by her hand. There were times she wasn't steady, and each time she stumbled she'd laugh at herself wholeheartedly.

Their next round was waiting for them at the booth, a tad watered down from the ice. They each plopped down, slightly sweaty.

"Wow, that was great. DJ did a pretty sick job." Nino said. Alya nodded in agreement leaning on him heavily. Julie appeared with four champagne glasses hanging upside down in between her fingers, and a silver ice bucket holding a bottle in her other arm. She placed the bucket on the table closest to her, and put a glass in front of each person. Everyone looked confused as she picked up the bottle and held it out to display the label to Adrien.

"The bottle you requested." He nodded in approval and she unwrapped the foil, gently popping the top. Adrien was impressed, half expecting her to pop the top and make the bottle explode like an amateur. She poured a small amount in his glass first, allowing him to taste. It was nice, pears and apples, with a hint of a toasty flavor. He nodded and she filled the rest of the glasses to the top, then filled his.

"Thank you, I wasn't expecting it so quickly." Adrien said as she put the bottle back in the ice. She smiled up to him.

"Me neither, but I found one already chilled from Clara Nightingale being here last week. Please enjoy and let me know if you need anything else." The group said their thanks and she walked away.

"Adrien, what is this?" Marinette asked holding up her glass. He smiled at each of them.

"This is me thanking you all for being such amazing friends. I've had the time of my life today and I'm so grateful to have each of you in my life. A toast to our friendship, and to the years to come." Adrien held his glass out and everyone joined, clinking in the middle. Both girls were teary eyed and he doesn't think he's seen Nino smile this wide before. They all took a sip together, and he could hear everyone's appreciation for the flavor.

"Adrien, this is _really_ good." Alya said taking another sip, then looking at the bottle. Marinette and Nino nodded in agreement. Adrien smiled.

"I'm glad you like it. I remember my dad ordering it for my mom once on her birthday." He took another sip, savoring the flavor as the memory played in his head. He caught Marinette looking at him with a small, sad smile and he returned it, with an underlying hint of resolve.

They relaxed in their booth, drinking somewhat quickly. When the bottle was empty they agreed it was time to head back to Nino's. Adrien clicked the button again, turning the lamp red, and Julie came just a few minutes later.

"Hey Adrien, can I get you another round?" She asked, cleaning the glasses away. The three of them were debating which anime film they wanted to watch when they got back.

"No thanks, we'll take the check whenever you can." Adrien responded and Julie pulled a small black book from her apron, the check already printed.

"Take your time. I can come back for it." She said as she picked up the bucket with the now empty bottle in it. Adrien took a quick look at the bill and slipped the correct amount of money in the pocket along with a one hundred dollar bill as Julie's tip.

"No problem, it's all here and I don't need change. Thank you so much for all your help tonight. We had a great time." The three agreed and Julie thanked them in return, saying whenever they came back to ask for her. As she walked away Alya got Adrien's attention.

"Alright, blondie. What do we owe you?" Marinette and Nino fished out their wallets in response. Adrien shook his head.

"I got it guys. You got away with dinner, remember?" Marinette pouted.

"But it's your birthday. You're not supposed to pay." He smiled to her, and then to Alya and Nino.

"You've already given me the best birthday gift I could ask for. Let this be my thank you." They all reluctantly agreed and made their way to the PickUp that Nino ordered a few minutes ago.

Marinette was just as much pressed against him as earlier. It was hard for him not to put his arm around her and hold her against him. He could still feel the warmth from the dance floor, and knew he would be hard again in a second if he wasn't careful.

Nino instructed the PickUp driver to stop at the 24-7 on the way home. When they pulled up, the girls stayed in the car while the boys went in to pick up some beers and snacks. The bright lights bouncing off the white floors stung his eyes and they quickly made their way to the back of the small convenience store, grabbing the go-to beer the group preferred. On their way to the counter they grabbed some chips and cookies. Adrien looked at the sweets with disappointment, knowing the calories were a waste and wishing he was having something fresh from Marinette's bakery instead.

"Hey man, can I get the three pack behind you? Fire and Ice." Nino nonchalantly asked as he pulled out the correct amount of money. The casher pulled it off the rack behind him, placing it on the counter next to the beers, unfazed.

"Condoms?" Adrien asked, surprised and slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah, I forgot them at home." He gave a sly smile to Adrien. "You want one? I'm not going to use all three." Adrien was flabbergasted.

"What? N-no! I don't need that…Thanks?" Adrien wasn't even sure what he was saying anymore, completely mortified from being in front of the cashier, who looked like he cared less. Nino gave him an eyebrow wiggle.

"Oh, so Marinette is on the pill?" Adrien choked on air as his face grew even hotter.

"Nino! No! Can you stop?!" Adrien whisper shouted. Nino snickered in return and Adrien left the store, leaving Nino to deal with the rest of the purchase. His actions were more expressive than he would have liked as he got back into the car, gaining him a look from both of the girls.

"You alright, blondie? I can't imagine much happening in there." Alya said as she turned to look out her window for Nino. Adrien scratched the back of his neck, failing at a fake smile.

"Y-yeah, everything is fine." Marinette's eyebrows scrunched with concern.

"You don't look alright Adrien." When he focused on her he was able to return a genuine small, shy smile.

"Really, I'll be fine. I-it's not a big deal." She reluctantly accepted his answer and settled into a more relaxed position, pressed against him once again. He returned his arm to behind her like he had it before, but felt a little more awkward doing so. Knowing Nino and probably Alya were watching each move he made with Marinette was putting him on his toes.

Nino got back into the passenger seat and told the driver he could take them home. He didn't mention what happened in the store, to Adrien's relief. It was a short ride to the apartment. Both he and Marinette stumbled out of the car. He tried to hold her as steady as he could, but his head was swimming as he felt the champagne finally hit him. Marinette giggled at their clumsiness and he couldn't help but grin in return, loving her laughter. Marinette practically tripped as she stepped into the elevator and all four of them broke out into laughter.

He would claim that the group was officially _wasted._

Just a few minutes later they were in the apartment, kicking the shoes off of their sore feet and plopping down onto the couches. Adrien and Marinette were on the longer couch directly across from the flat screen while Alya laid against Nino on the love seat just to the right of them. Alya let a loud, satisfied sigh escape her.

"That was a lot of fun." Nino nodded in agreement, wrapping his arms around her.

"One of the top five nights of my life." Marinette added, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Though I think we drank a little too much." Adrien commented and everyone groaned in agreement. Adrien laughed and went to the kitchen to fetch everyone some water. He found four glasses easily and grabbed the pitcher of filtered water from the fridge. He opened his jacket and felt Plagg fly out, surely to find Tikki. Once he was back in the living room, he filled the glasses and handed one to each person, then chugged his. Nino flipped through the on-demand movies, found the classic anime movie that everyone knows of, and made sure the volume was reasonable.

"Ooh. I love this one! The tall, dark spirit with the mask is my favorite!" Adrien said as he settled back to his place on the couch. Marinette giggled.

"I heard that it's actually bad luck to accept the coins he gives out." She commented. He turned to her, a small space between them.

"Really? I haven't heard that. I'll have to check it out tonight." His smile was wide and excited.

"That is, if you don't fall asleep first, you drunk anime nerd." Nino responded and Alya laughed in response. At least Marinette tried to hide her snickering.

"Hey, pretty sure you're more drunk than us." Adrien childishly replied. Marinette agreed, backing him up.

"Says the couple that was falling over each other on the way up here." Alya quipped.

"Ha! You two would be falling over each other sober- if we took your glasses away!" Marinette shot back and Adrien laughed wholeheartedly.

Without thinking both of them raised both of their hands, fist-bumping.

"Pound it!" They said in unison.

...Shit.

Marinette's look reflected his own, shocked with wide eyes. It seemed that Alya and Nino didn't notice, still trying to think of a comeback. Adrien felt his face heating up as he scratched the back of his neck, giving a shy grin. He could see the wheels turning in her head, her look turning more calculating like Ladybug as the seconds passed.

"Guys, look! There he is." They both turned to the screen to see the character they were just speaking about a moment ago. He glanced over to Marinette quickly; she was distracted by the movie. Hopefully she'll forget about what just happened.

They enjoyed the movie, Marinette resting her head on his shoulder at some point. The last thing he remembered seeing on screen was the group leaving the bathhouse before nodding off.

He felt warm and groggy as he slowly opened his eyes to the credits scrolling up the black screen, the room now dark. He was oddly laying on his side, feeling a warm weight holding him in place. He glanced down and saw the top of Marinette's head resting against his side, just above his hip. He shifted, trying to get more comfortable by moving his leg underneath her to make his back lay flat against the couch. As he moved he noticed that Nino and Alya were no longer on the love seat, and the sound of them leaving the room and turning off the lights was probably what woke him. Still half asleep, Marinette shifted with him getting more comfortable. She now laid on her stomach in between his open legs, her head resting on his chest, right on top of his heart. Feeling more comfortable and warm, Adrien closed his eyes as he rested his arm over her shoulders, the other one bent behind his head as a makeshift pillow. A content sigh escaped him as he felt her snuggle against him. He was almost fully asleep again when he heard the faintest voice.

"Chatton…" He murmured his response automatically, as sleep started to take him.

"M'Lady…"

As the realization of what was just spoken sunk in, he felt her shift and her soft lips capture his.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello all, thank you so much for your patience! We're finally back on track, and I'm so happy. WE REACHED 300 FOLLOWERS TODAY! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I literally cannot believe that so many people have read this story and hit that button, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Now for the chapter. It's short, but it was the right time to break. With that being said, I'm not going to make you wait as long for the next chapter.

Please let me know your thoughts, predictions etc! Thanks!

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It was just as soft as their first kiss.

He kissed her back with unrestricted fervor, the fading alcohol still making his head swim. This kiss was a little more sloppy and heated than the first time. He felt the warmth spike through his stomach as she sighed and started to crawl up his body, kissing him again. He sat up to meet her and wound his arms around her waist as she settled on his lap. He could feel the warmth of her now that she pressed against his hard dick, just a few layers between them.

Her fingers combed through the back of his hair as she kissed him, sending little sparks down his neck, and through the rest of his body. He ran his hands up her thighs slowly in response, dipping under her skirt to grab her ass. She moaned into the kiss and he squeezed again, groaning. Her panties were lacy, not a thong, but definitely not covering her ass fully. It was hot to know she was wearing these all night, and he had the strong urge to find out what color they were.

He kissed across her jawline and down her neck as she let her head fall to the side, giving him better access. A little gasp escaped her when he kissed the curve where her neck meets her shoulder and he gave it a quick lick. Her moan was deep as her hands fisted the back of his shirt. As he sucked on the spot, she shivered in his grasp, her crotch grinding against him. He felt the sensation wash over him and he sucked a little harder, hearing another moan fall from her lips as his reward.

A creak from down the hallway brought him out of his haze and he pressed his forehead against hers, breathless. Her eyes were barely open, and he could see the redness dusted across her cheeks from the small amount of light from the movie, now back on its title screen. She was definitely less coherent than he was.

"Bug, we should stop." He said softly and she kissed him again. It was a sweet chaste kiss, her enjoying the sheer fact that she could. He understood and gave her a peck back, enjoying the feeling as well.

"Seriously, you know we can't do this… yet. I want to _so bad_ -" He squeezed her ass again to emphasize the fact and she gave a soft breathy moan in response. He couldn't help ghosting his fingertips down her thighs and back up to her ass over and over as he spoke.

"But we have to wait, you know?" He tried to look into her eyes, to understand how she was taking it, but they were half lidded. God she looked so damn sexy right now, but it also didn't feel right with her still so intoxicated.

She shyly nodded in response and rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling up against his neck. He laid back down bringing her with him, her legs still straddling him. He grabbed the blanket off of the back of the couch that wasn't there earlier. He supposed that Alya or Nino put it there. He draped it over them the best he could with her on top of him and she sighed, enjoying the new warmth. He wound his arms around her back under the blanket and drifted off to sleep again quickly.

He felt something shift on top of him and he cracked his eyes open, the glaring sun making him squint. He couldn't remember where he was until he looked down to the head of deep blue hair on his chest.

 _Oh._

As she came to, she lifted her head, her nose just inches from his. When she started to realize where she was, her eyes grew wide and a light dusting of pink was forming on her cheeks. He gave her a shy smile as he felt his own cheeks grow warm. He tried to remember what exactly happened to make them end up in this position, but he couldn't grasp much. They surely didn't do _it,_ since they were both still fully dressed. So much for controlling himself when he was drunk.

"Well, looks like we weren't the only ones that had fun." Nino's voice rang from just a few feet away. Marinette's face grew even more embarrassed and she sat up quickly, her hands pressing against his chest for support. The quick movement put a lot of pressure against his crotch and a short grunt escaped his lips.

 _Of course_ he had to have morning wood.

Her blush grew deeper as the realization hit her and she scrambled to get off of him uttering an apology.

"I um- h-have to use the bathroom…" She muttered a quick excuse and was gone in a flash. He raised his head over the couch to watch her walk down the hallway and saw Alya turn to follow her, still groggy. Nino gave him a wink and he rolled his eyes, getting up from the couch and readjusting his clothing. His head pounded but he knew he's definitely been in worse shape. He thanked himself for chugging some water when they got back. He followed Nino into the kitchen and watched as he started to prepare breakfast.

"I thought you didn't need the condom." Nino said nonchalantly as he grabbed eggs and milk from the fridge, not even looking at him.

"I didn't. Nothing like that happened." Adrien responded annoyed, rolling his eyes as he grabbed plates from the cabinet to set the table. Just as he finished putting the silverware down, they heard the bathroom door open and close.

"Sounds like she's out. You should go change." Nino said over his shoulder, chopping something on the counter. Adrien nodded, running a hand through his hair as he left the kitchen.

He grabbed his duffel bag from Nino's room and changed into regular street clothes in the bathroom, washing his face and attempting to fix his hair. He wondered if Plagg and Tikki were still sleeping or simply laying low.

As he stepped back into the hallway, he noticed light coming from one of the bedrooms and could hear Alya's voice. He quietly stepped closer.

" -you care to explain to me what that was about?" Through the small opening, he could see the back of Alya as she interrogated, and suspected the footsteps he heard to be Marinette's, pacing.

"I don't know! I just woke up like that, Alya." He saw Alya shift her weight to her other foot, cocking her hip and resting her hand against it.

"In his lap? And you don't remember anything? C'mon girl, I thought we don't keep secrets from each other. I thought you liked someone else now. Who he is, is enough of a secret to keep from me." He heard the footsteps stop.

"Listen, I'm not keeping anything from you. I don't remember what happened, the last thing was the movie. I...still lo-...like the other guy." He felt his chest tighten. Was she talking about Chat?

"Okay, fine. I believe you, but I don't think you got that mark from being clumsy." He heard a soft 'what' before hearing a sharp slap echo in the quiet room.

"Ow!" Marinette gasped. What was going on? He stiffened. Should he go in there?

"Girl, don't slap yourself! It's going to hurt more." He heard shuffling across the room.

" _Oh my god Alya it's a hickey."_ Alya walked across the room and he could see both of their backs in front of the dresser mirror. He shifted so they wouldn't be able to see his reflection.

"Yes Marinette, this usually happens when two people make out." Alya said playfully.

Bits and pieces came back to him. Marinette on his lap kissing him. Grabbing her ass and hearing her moan. Those lace panties. Her soft 'Chatton' and his 'M'Lady'. He felt himself stiffen in his pants. Did she know? She called him his nickname and kissed him. Is she just making it look good for Alya? Marinette leaned closer to the mirror over the dresser. The movement lifted her skirt and he got a glimpse of the bottom of her ass… her panties…

They were white.

They were so perfect on her and he felt his jeans become too tight. He grabbed his dick through his jeans, trying to readjust.

"What am I going to _do_ Alya?! This can't be happening _now._ "

"Relax, we just need to use some coverup. Nino will never notice. I'm sorry he teased you before."

He walked back down the hallway quietly. What did she mean by that? Why couldn't it be happening now?

"Dude, you okay?" He was back in the kitchen, Nino looking at him worried.

"...Yeah, whats up?" Adrien responded, making himself busy by grabbing glasses from the cabinet and placing them at each setting.

"You just look like you're upset. Something on your mind?" Adrien smiled over his shoulder and shook his head.

"Nah, I'm alright. Thanks man." The girls walked into the kitchen then, sitting at the table. Adrien busied himself helping Nino get all the food onto the table. He didn't want to look at her just yet. He didn't want to make things worse right now.

"Oh my _god._ Agreste, are you serious?!" Alya shouted from behind him. His hands gripped the counter. Oh boy. He slowly turned to Alya staring at her phone, everyone else shocked from her outburst.

"What's wrong, babe?" Nino asked, worried.

"Apparently the last thing I did on my phone last night was search the champagne we had because I liked it so much."

"...So what?" Marinette asked still looking confused.

"So it was six hundred dollars, that's _what."_ Marinette and Nino's shocked faces whipped to Adrien as he kept his eye contact with Alya, though he was dying to look at Marinette. He scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"But didn't you enjoy it?" Adrien asked shyly.

"Yes, I know we all did. But, Adrien, you didn't have to do that… that's too much." Marinette said softly. He finally met her gaze. She looked so torn.

"It's not too much." He said soft but firm. She looked surprised at his reply. He couldn't look away.

"You're the most important people to me and gave me an amazing birthday. You deserved that bottle and I'd do it again." He said bravely. She blushed.

He sat down and started to eat, not waiting for a reply. Nino made a full breakfast spread: omelettes, bacon, sausage, roasted potatoes, and there were even croissants. They weren't as good as the Dupain-Cheng's, but they went well with the spread. Everyone ate along with him, not protesting the champagne anymore.

They chatted over breakfast about their favorite parts of the evening and how hungover they all were. Adrien made a jealous comment of how Nino could recover so easily to make a full breakfast. In turn Nino called Adrien a light weight. Suddenly Alya gasped, staring at her phone once again.

"What is it now?" Adrien asked, playfully annoyed. Marinette looked over Alya's shoulder and gasped as well, quickly turning a shade of crimson.

"Babe, what-" Alya held her phone for the boys to see. It was Adrien, sitting on the edge of a bed of tangled white sheets, just wearing a pair of jeans, his hands dangling loosely between his legs. The piercing stare he gave the camera was sultry and filled with fire.

Damn, the photoshoot really came out good. Vincent went with the photo he took when he prompted Adrien to think of Marinette. Marinette in ladybug lingerie. He looked over to her; she was still red, finding her fork very interesting. He felt himself start to stiffen in his pants again.

Not again. If this keeps happening, he's not going to be able to will it away anymore.

Nino clapped him on the back.

"Duddddde. That looks sick. You're going to get mobbed by fangirls for weeks." Adrien groaned at the realization.

"Class is going to suck so much this week. Maybe I should get the Gorilla to drive me." He said glancing to Marinette. She shook her head.

"No, that's alright. We just need to leave a bit earlier to avoid everyone." She shyly responded, her cheeks still warm. Alya dipped into the living room and returned with the gift wrapped in blue paper Marinette dropped yesterday when she bumped into him.

"You never opened your gift from Marinette." Alya stated while handing the gift to him across the table. He smiled to Marinette as he took it.

"That's right, I guess we were a bit wasted when we got home, huh?" She looked away, nervous and embarrassed. He brushed it off and put his full attention into opening the gift that he knew she spent a lot of time on.

He lifted up a pajama shirt that was a shade of light blue, close to the color of Marinette's eyes. The material was a cotton blend that was super soft, not the ridiculously expensive silk that the Gabriel brand has. His thumb brushed over a monogrammed 'M" with filigree on the corner of the shirt, just below the last button. There was a set of matching pants in the box. He looked at her lovingly across the table as Alya and Nino made sounds of appreciation.

"Marinette, these are great. Thank you so much. They feel amazing." She shyly glanced away, and he brought his attention back to the pajamas to give her the space she needed.

"Y-you said you've been having trouble sleeping, so I tried to find the most comfortable fabric."

It was really thoughtful that she put so much time and effort into it, but come to think of it, she always had something special for him on his birthday.

They enjoyed the rest of breakfast, and he found it difficult to turn a blind eye to how withdrawn Marinette was. All too soon he was waving goodbye to the group, and a few minutes later he was jumping as Chat across rooftops toward the Agreste mansion.

The rest of the day went by without much excitement. He ended up buckling down through assignments because while it was tedious and boring, it was still better than seeing photos from his shoot with Vincent plastered everywhere on social media.

He arrived at their patrol starting point early, waiting for his Lady's arrival. He had to admit that he was a bit anxious, wondering if Marinette felt any better from earlier, the words she said to Alya ringing through his head.

Why couldn't it be happening now? Them being together. What if she couldn't love Adrien anymore once she found out that he was Chat?

He shook his head, trying to wipe his mind clean as if it were an Etch A Sketch. His gaze settled on the Parisian skyline, already starting to grow dark so early in the evening with the autumn season approaching.

He's getting ahead of himself here. He doesn't even know if what she meant was directed at him. What he couldn't deny was what she said directed at Chat.

He didn't move away as he felt her presence behind him, her feet gently making contact with the rooftop.

She was going to say she loves Chat.

He felt her walk up to the edge of the rooftop and peered over the skyline with him in silence. He could feel the tension in the air, but didn't want to break it at the same time.

He wasn't sure what to say.

Finally she spoke, her voice quiet.

"We should go. I-I want to get this done with and go home. I'm quite tired and I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow." Her voice shook, as if she was holding back tears, as if she was going to break.

As if she already did today.

She jumped down before he could say anything and he had to scramble to catch up. He trailed behind, too scared to run next to her. His heart clenched as he stared at her back, her movements stiff and robotic.

What was wrong with her? Did she know he was Chat? Was she mad at him for it?

In record time they landed at the Eiffel Tower. She didn't stop walking, about to leave.

"Goodnight Chat, I'll see you tomorr-" He quickly caught up to her and grabbed her hand. She didn't turn to face him.

"What's going on? Talk to me, please." He tugged on her hand gently, trying to get her to turn and face him.

"I can't." She whispered, weak and defeated.

"Whatever it is, you know I'm here for you, Bug. Always." She turned to him, eyes watery, with a sad smile. He felt as if he was punched in the gut.

"I know." She whispered.

She took his shock as an opportunity to leave, and he watched her go, his body feeling like lead. It took him a few moments to get his bearings and then he was ripping through his closing sweep, stinging behind his eyes and a burning in his chest. He had to see Marinette on her balcony, waiting to speak to Chat. She would be there.

As he approached the Dupain-Cheng bakery, he could tell the balcony was dark, Marinette's bedroom light off. He didn't pause, heading straight for home, the tears starting to fall.

He didn't drop his transformation as he laid on his bed. He didn't want to face Plagg tonight. But more importantly…

He didn't want to feel.


	9. Chapter 9

He didn't think it was possible, but he felt worse the next morning.

He got an earful from Plagg when he finally dropped the transformation to shower. He rested his head against his forearm, using the wall to hold himself up. Everything hurt under the spray, but the strongest pain was the ache in his chest that wouldn't go away.

It was the second time that week that he used concealer to avoid questions from his father and Natalie. He almost wished that it was Monday already so he could actually have something to distract himself from feeling like this.

There wasn't much to do with already being ahead on his assignments, so he decided to do some grinding in Ultimate Mecha Strike III. As much as he wanted the gaming to fully distract him and make the hours fly by, he was still fully aware as each minute passed, bringing him closer to patrol.

He spun in his desk chair. He never thought he'd dread patrol.

He just didn't want to see her like that again. He didn't want to be the reason she was so upset.

Though he felt the day dragged by, it still felt way too soon for him to be freshly showered and jumping across rooftops towards their meeting place.

She was there, similar to yesterday. Today he didn't question it, and they fell into a steady pace, embarking on their Sunday patrol route.

He sighed in relief. This was familiar, comfortable. He watched her run from only a few feet away, the muscles in her back stiff.

They may have some problems right now, but deep down they were still them, Ladybug and Chat Noir, and they'll make it out of this mess. It was just the reassurance he needed right now.

Patrol felt short compared to his whole day. They were at the Eiffel tower once again in record time, nothing amiss tonight. She turned to him with a calm and sad expression, still vulnerable, as if she took the entire day to get a hold of herself.

"Have a goodnight, M'Lady. Feel better." He said to her softly with a sad smile, not forcing her to break whatever she mustered up to hold her together tonight. She gave him a small sad smile, grateful for his understanding. She looked over her shoulder at him and nodded just before jumping from the rooftop, into the night.

When she was finally gone he sighed, plopping down onto the ground and laying back to look at the stars.

What was he going to do if she won't even talk to him? He's not even sure what he did to upset her. Yeah, the way they had to handle this isn't ideal, but they were making it work for now. Man, what it would be like to just be free of all this mess.

A thought flashed in his mind of Marinette teaching him how to make macarons at the bakery after hours. Her kissing his cheek as he mixed the batter. Him lifting her to sit on top of the counter to kiss her sweetly as they baked, her legs wrapped around him.

He sat up willing the wish away. That wasn't going to make him feel any better right now.

He raised his arms and stretched his back, loosening each vertebra. He should just finish his closing sweep and head home.

He jumped from the rooftop swiftly. There was class tomorrow and he was sure he'd need a good amount of rest to deal with all the tension he'll feel with Marinette. There was no way he could act normally after seeing her like this as Chat.

He peered over to the Dupain-Cheng bakery out of habit, not expecting to see the light glow from Marinette's room, and to see her on top of the balcony. He changed direction.

Ladybug may not talk to Chat, but maybe Marinette will. It was worth a shot.

He landed behind her as she looked out into the night.

"Good evening, Prrrrrrrincess. How was your friend's birthday?" He hoped his voice sounded normal, and not broken. He tilted his head to the side as he waited for an answer that never came. He swallowed nervously as he approached her.

"What's the matter, Princess?" He asked hesitantly as he leaned the small of his back and his forearms on the railing next to her, just like the other night. Now that he could see her face, he noticed the unshed tears glazing over her eyes as she looked straight ahead, trying to hold herself together.

She wiped away the wetness with her sleeve, not allowing the tears to fall.

"Hey…" He said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. He felt her tense as she bit her lip, but she didn't pull away. The look she gave him was lost, pleading.

"Marinette, like I said the other night, you can tell me. Let me help you for all those times you let me vent, and gave me yummy snacks." His stomach growled at the mention of sweets and he finally got a small smile from her. She had to clear her throat to speak.

"The birthday went okay, thanks for asking." She said, trying to hold her composure. He frowned.

"A for effort, F for convincing." He gave her a toothy grin. She giggled rolling her eyes, and he inwardly cheered at the accomplishment. Her stance relaxed, and she rested her forearms against the railing, holding her weight.

"Really, to the outside person, it was a great evening. It's one I'll never forget." He felt his chest swell at her proclamation.

"So what's…" He couldn't continue, seeing how pensive she became. Her eyebrows scrunched as if she couldn't tell him what she was about to say, but was almost too comfortable to notice that she was about to.

"You can tell me, Princess. Your words are safe with me." He brushed some hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

He mentally slapped himself for doing so, because Marinette and Chat didn't have the relationship that Ladybug and Chat did or even that Adrien and Marinette did. But to his surprise she was comforted by the notion, with a light blush dusting her cheeks. She tried to say it a few times, and he could tell that she was trying to find the correct words. Suddenly she had a little burst of energy, the drive to say it.

"Chat, have you ever lov…. er- wanted two things at once?"

Oh.

He tried to hold back his chuckle, but it turned into a lopsided smile instead.

"Yes. I mean… kind of? It's not exactly the easiest thing to define." She gave a small smile back, her eyes still wet.

"It isn't." She looked back to the cityscape.

"I'm just worried that I'm going to do the wrong thing. I can't have both and I've tried to accept that. But the feeling is still there. It doesn't help when the other thing I want, is what I can't have at the current moment." Her voice cracked, the tears starting to spill over.

Oh.

"All of this probably sounds like a bunch of nonsense that you don't understand." Her voice sounded so broken. He couldn't hold himself back anymore. He pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"C-chat?" He could feel her cling onto him, but knew she shouldn't act like that with him while she's Marinette. He rubbed her arm softly, not breaking the embrace.

"It's okay. This is what you need right now." He felt her give in and start to sniffle against his chest. His suit felt so warm and tingly where she touched, and he could feel it slowly spreading through his body, numbing him in a way.

It didn't take a genius to understand what she was talking about, not when he had all the pieces. She wants to be with Chat but she can't until they defeat Hawkmoth. And she feels guilty for how comfortable she is with Adrien, almost as if she was cheating on Chat.

It was like he was reading her mind because as his thoughts progressed, she started to cry more. He shuffled them over to one of the lounge chairs on the balcony and sat as far back as he could, having her curled up in front of him in between his legs, with his feet on the ground.

"I got you Bug." The slip came out as a whisper as he shuffled them around. She didn't respond to it, so he just hoped for the best that she didn't hear it. It was so hard to be restricted with her like this, he was already pushing the boundaries as it was.

As he held her to him, she started to calm. His words came out just barely above a whisper.

"Listen, don't overthink all of this. Everything happens for a reason and has its purpose, and I'm sure this is no different. Just follow your heart and do what makes it happy. Everything else will fall into place. My mother used to always say, 'all your problems could be one in the same, you just have to look at things differently'."

And gosh it couldn't be any more true here.

They laid there for a while, comfortable in each other's arms. Their little slice of peace where they didn't have to worry about anything.

In that moment, he was certain that at the very least her soul knew what they were, and he smiled as he drifted off, more comfortable than he's been in a while.

He felt a light touch against his forehead as his bangs were brushed back and forth. He slowly cracked his eyes open to the loving bluebell ones of Marinette.

As soon as she noticed he was awake, her hand froze and an embarrassed blush started to graze her cheeks. Before she could pull away, he pushed his head against her hand, much like a cat would, encouraging her to continue.

And she did.

"Hey." She said softly, still not as strong as usual, but the best he's heard yet.

"Hey." He couldn't hide the loving tone in his voice. His gaze was still soft, enjoying her fingers combing through his locks. He felt a purr start to form in his chest.

"We dozed off for a bit there, Chatton." He felt the shock shoot through his chest at the nickname. Did she know that he knew she was Ladybug?

As he looked at her fully, he noticed the pink hues starting off low in the sky.

"What…what time is it?" He asked groggily, giving a minor flex to each of his muscles. He noticed his arms were still around her as she cuddled against his chest. He presumed that his feet would be numb if the suit wasn't blocking the uncomfortable feeling.

She groggily untangled from him and padded across the balcony, dropping down to her bed from the open window. It only took a moment for her to pop her head back up, her eyes anxious.

"It's six AM." She held up her phone and he walked over, the digital screen reading four minutes past six o'clock.

"Crap, I'd better get going before I get in trouble. I'll see you soon Marinette." He turned to quickly take his leave, but was held back by something pulling on his tail.

"Um.. Chat, wait." She said nervously as she released his tail. He turned to her, confused.

"What is it M'L...um, Marinette?" She popped back down to her room before she could catch his blunder. Just a moment later, she came back up with a package in her hands, wrapped with blue paper, the same as her birthday gift to Adrien.

"So um...L-Ladybug told me your birthday is coming up sometime this week? She w-wasn't sure exactly when, but requested something-as a commission of sorts." She held out the gift awkwardly, to stop herself from talking. Surprised, he stepped forward and kneeled down in front of the sky light's edge, and took the package.

It wasn't in a box like his previous gift from her. It was just wrapped by itself. He could tell it was soft as the paper crinkled in his hands as he carefully unwrapped the gift, not wanting his claws to damage it.

"Wow…" He was so touched. In his hands was a black knitted hat...with holes for his ears. The simple but intricate design looked like it took a lot of time up close, but didn't take away from the hat itself since it was all black.

"Your head gets very cold when you go out for patrol in the winter. ...O-or at least that's what she told me." He put it on his head, his ears sliding through the holes. It was a perfect fit. When he looked back up at her with his goofy grin, she had a blush dusting her cheeks as she looked away, embarrassed at her cover story.

This girl was unbelievable. Two creative, very useful gifts catered to him, made with excellent craftsmanship. On top of all of that, she even made it that she gave him something from Ladybug, without compromising her identity.

But he knew better.

His hand brushed over the cuff of the hat, feeling her M inscription.

Overwhelmed with adoration, he leaned just the last bit needed forward, and kissed her cheek.

"Thanks so much Marinette, I love it." He whispered in her ear.

As he leaned back, he realized his mistake. Chat and Marinette don't have this relationship.

Just inches from her face, he took in her shy and surprised expression, her blush now a much darker shade. They were so close, he could feel the heat start to warm his whole body. He could just lean a little closer and…

He felt her stretch up to meet him, her eyes drifting closed.

"Marinette! Are you awake? Do I need to come up there with the water again?" Sabine's muffled call came from underneath the attic door. They both look at each other in fear, eyes wide.

"Y-yeah! I'm awake! Be right down!" Marinette nervously said over her shoulder. "Go." She whispered to him. He nodded. Rushing to the edge of her balcony, he gave her one last look over his shoulder, winking before he jumped off.

He made it home quickly, hopefully unseen. As he jumped through his window and released the transformation, Plagg dropped on the bed exhausted. There was a knock at his door.

"Adrien? Are you up yet? This is my third time asking." Natalie's voice called though the door.

Shit.

"Yes! I'm up! Sorry, I was in the bathroom." He called back as he shook his head, droplets flinging off his hair, still wet from last night's shower now that the transformation was dropped.

"Breakfast will be on the table in ten minutes, I'll see you down stairs." He breathed a sigh of relief as he heard her footsteps fade away.

"So...you're cheating on Marinette with Ladybug, and cheating on Ladybug with Marinette now?" Plagg asked from across the room, munching on a piece of cheese. Adrien sighed loudly and plopped backwards onto the bed.

"Ugh...you know it's not like that at all." He turned to his side to stare at Plagg.

"Do..you think she knows?" Plagg asked, serious for a moment.

"That I'm Chat?" Adrien paused, thinking it through. "...No, I don't think she realizes. Maybe deep down she may have the feeling, but I don't think she's fully aware."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I would have heard from Tikki by now how she wants to kill me for letting you find out." Plagg picked up a new piece of cheese, inspecting it as if it was the problem itself. "But...what about the nickname slips?" Adrien laid back down and faced the ceiling.

"I think...she's starting to forget who she is when she's with Chat. Whether she's Ladybug or Marinette, being with her like that feels the same, and I start to forget who I am myself sometimes."

"And your birthday?" Plagg wasn't present for that, but Adrien had expressed his concern yesterday.

"I think she was too drunk at that point. Probably too comfortable and forgot that we weren't Ladybug and Chat in that moment. Probably also why she doesn't remember it either. I'm so glad I stopped us."

His breakfast was uneventful as he ate alone. The healthy food was bland and he had to force it down so his father wouldn't get a bad report from Natalie. He got a ride from the Gorilla to the bakery to give Plagg a break. There was poparazzi waiting for him on the pavement, already flashing pictures of the limo. God, why did they have to go crazy every time a shoot was released? He sighed. Just as he was about to get out of the car, he noticed Marinette in the bakery window, motioning him to come around the back.

Grateful, he quickly told Gorilla and they drove away, some photographers trying to run behind the car. He quickly jumped out of the car and into the alley, shouting a thanks over his shoulder and the limo drove off. Marinette came out of the side door, coffees and pastry bag in hand, her bag slung over her shoulder. She walked and met him quickly, not stopping as he had to turn around and follow her. She was wearing some light wash jeans, along with a dark hoodie jacket and her converse. Her hair was up in a messy bun, noticeably not having much time to get ready this morning.

"We have to hurry before they notice, I parked around the block last night because I had a feeling this would happen." In just a few seconds, they were zooming down the road, taking a different route to the school.

Now that the rush was over, he could definitely feel the thick tension in the car as he sipped his coffee.

"Um, Adrien I…." He turned to her. She kept her eyes focused on the road. "I don't really remember what happened the other night. I-I'm sorry if it got out of hand." He could see the blush starting to dust her cheeks. He gave a shy smile back, scratching the back of his neck.

"Ah well, I don't remember much either. We definitely had too much to drink."

Liar.

She gave a small smile, sighing in relief.

The tension eased up for the rest of the car ride, but as they made it to their class, he noticed that she was more careful around him. They just didn't have the same closeness that they had before, and he really missed it. He tried to ignore it for the time being as Professor Chatel looked over his first sketches for the Ladybug and Chat collection. It felt like forever since he did them.

"Please point out which is your preferred piece." Chatel asked him, her eyes calculating. He pointed to the pantsuit with the flared pockets. She nodded and murmured an 'interesting' before moving to Marinette's sketches. After asking Marinette the same and nodding at the sketch with the leather jacket, she addressed them both.

"I'm happy with your sketches, and you can officially start working on the prototypes. I look forward to seeing your work." She gave them a small, but serious smile before walking away. Both of them released a breath, one he didn't realize he was holding.

"Good job Marinette. It was your call to sketch right away. I don't see where we would have fit it in the week otherwise." She gave him a small smile. They overheard the table behind them not getting Chatel's approval and given another week to sketch.

"I didn't realize that would happen if she didn't like the sketches." Marinette commented, surprised. He grinned.

"Well, this is a competition after all. Isn't it?"

The rest of the day was uneventful. Lunch and class were the regular, save for Marinette being a bit reserved.

It took some time, but he adjusted to the step back his relationship took with Marinette in the next few weeks. They had the casual grind of classes and photo shoots during the days, and patrol was rushed through at nights so that Chat and Marinette could spend some time together.

This was the space where they could enjoy each other's company, without the pressure of being superheros, or confused bestfriends. They talked like they used to on the nights he'd visit her to vent, only now they talked about everything they could, given she didn't know he was actually Chat. He fell asleep with his head in her lap as she sketched new designs under the stars many times. He gave her piggyback rides jumping over rooftops through the night, her squeals nervous and genuine, without the confidence of her suit with spots.

It was a nice pace they fell into. Just enjoying each other's company.

That is, until they incurred another Akumatized victim during patrol.

His thoughts were racing as he dodged another beam directed towards him.

They've encountered many, many Akumas. Scary ones, silly ones, serious ones too. But why, oh why do they have to deal with a sexual Akuma?

He saw the beam of light continue past him as it hit two civilians. They stared intensely at each other for a moment, and they were suddenly all over each other, kissing and pulling off the other's clothes.

This seriously can't be happening right now.

"Chat look out! Don't get hit by that!" Ladybug called over to him, running alongside him on the next rooftop. As they turned a corner they joined side by side still running.

"What are we going to do?" He asked her, out of breath. They landed on the next rooftop, looking around everywhere for their assailant.

"Dammit, we lost him. I don't know Chat, I really don't." She looked over to him worried, biting her lip. The Chat-and-Ladybug-business-professionalism was going well for the time being, the meetings between Chat and Marinette easing that tension. Getting hit by this Akumatized victim put a serious risk to Hawkmoth realizing they had a deeper relationship.

Suddenly it felt like electricity was shot through him. He could see the glow of pink around her too, and they held onto each other, riding out the aftershock. A voice chuckled behind them.

"Ha Ha! I've got you now! Each of you will go find the person that means the most to you, and you'll be so distracted, I'll take your Miraculous!" The glow ended, and he could instantly feel the hot tingle start to move through his body, straight to his groin that was starting to stiffen. Luckily, it didn't really show much in his suit.

They both jumped apart from each other, gasping for air. When his eyes finally locked with hers, they had so much passion in them, but there was fear too. He felt such a strong urge to run to her, to finally take her on this rooftop, and as she bit her lip and clenched her thighs together, he knew she was feeling the same.

No no no no. This can't be happening right now.


	10. Chapter 10

Hello all! Thanks for your patience! I know last chapter was a crazy cliffhanger, and don't kill me but.. this one may have one too? But good news! I plan to post a 'bonus' (if you will) chapter this month to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of the posting of this story! So it won't be too long before you see what happens! Please shoot me a review of your reactions, I love hearing from you!

One note I'd like to add is that if you aren't freshly familiar with the previous chapter, I would suggest reading it over or at least the bottom half of it, since we're jumping right into where we left off, and I know it's been a while since chapter 9 was posted!

Enjoy! :)

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This was the biggest mess by far that they've gotten themselves into.

His gaze was forced to concentrate on her lips being bitten, her chest moving as she breathed heavily and her thighs as they rubbed against each other. He was already so hard that it almost hurt. He wanted her so badly. He always has.

Flashes of them dancing at the club moved through his mind. Grabbing her ass in those lacy white panties. Her beautiful, lust filled eyes. He loved her with all of his soul.

He stepped forward.

A chilling sensation washed over him suddenly, as if someone threw a bucket of ice water over him. He felt himself instantly flare up again with the heat of desire, just to be washed away by coldness.

"Argh!" He grunted as he gripped his sides, his arms circling around his torso. He fell to his knees.

"Chat! No!" He heard her run towards him and then she suddenly stopped, gasping. He looked up to see her shivering uncomfortably, her arms starting to circle around herself.

"Why isn't it working!?" The Akumatized victim, Copulator screamed. He definitely could be called attractive, with his strong jawline and his short black hair. He even pulled off the ridiculous costume that the Akuma gave him, which resembled a more adulterated cupid. The glowing purple butterfly sigil appeared over his eyes and he quieted, listening to new instructions from Hawkmoth.

Okay, think fast. Why wasn't this working? Why aren't they all over each other already? He felt himself constantly ripped back and forth between pleasurable and uncomfortable sensations.

"Chat..." Ladybug whimpered.

"I'm okay." He groaned, suddenly hit by another wave of ice.

"I think the suits are trying to help us." She responded, attempting to be quiet enough to not pull their attacker's attention.

Well. That would make a lot of sense, wouldn't it?

The suit that protects them from gaining any injuries, but also allows them to feel each other. It's trying to counteract the forced lust.

"I think you're right. We can fight this! Stand up M'Lady." It took them both a minute, but they were finally both standing, unsteady. Copulator hadn't noticed them yet. Chat squared his shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"M'Lady, just think about it for a minute. We fight this every day, don't we?" He gave her a toothy grin through the pain. She smirked back.

"Yes, you're quite right about that, Chaton." He winked at her.

"We can put this on the back burner, the suits will help us, all we have to do is will it." He could see the wheels turning in her head as he spoke and they nodded to each other, jumping off the rooftop in different directions.

"Hey! Where'd they go?!" Copulator shouted into the night. Chat kept himself low as he jumped across rooftops, being careful to run near places that would give him the most coverage. They needed to meet up and get back on the offensive. It felt a bit easier to move around given he's now in the correct mindset. He still felt a bit uncomfortable, but the fight was now in the forefront of his mind. He supposed that not having Ladybug in his vicinity was also helping.

He almost smacked into her while looking over his shoulder to check if Copulator caught up to him. They both ducked behind one of the large air units on the roof for coverage.

"What...now?" He asked her as they both tried to catch their breath.

"I'm...not sure. It's hard enough to fight feeling like this. We have no idea what's driving him or where the Akuma might be. She responded, looking out into the night.

"I can sense the sexual tension. I know they're close, Hawkmoth." Copulator's voice calmly stated nearby. Ladybug grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the only door on the roof. He felt his skin start to warm where her hand was holding his. No no no. This can't be good.

"Who locks a stairway from the outside?!" She whispered, frustrated.

"Cataclysm!" He said quickly, under his breath. In just seconds, the lock was disintegrated off of the door, and he ripped it open, dragging her inside with him. He looked back to make sure the door was shut behind them.

What he didn't expect was to smack right into a wall as soon as he was inside the doorway. The force of pulling her after him made her smack into his chest as well, shoving his back against the wall.

He felt both at the same time, the pressure from the things on the wall pressing into his suit- the one thing protecting him from the blow, and the blazing heat wherever their suits touched. Her chest against his, her arms around his shoulders, and her thighs pressed together inside his open stance, her hips pinning his. All the heat started from where she was pressed up against his crotch, and the flames slowly licked the rest of his body.

After giving his eyes a minute to adjust from the lack of moonlight, and only the soft glow of the small blinking lights behind him, he realized where they were.

"It was locked because it was an electrical closet, not a stairwell." He whispered, his voice deep.

"Yeah…" She responded, breathy. They were so close, he could feel her breath across his lips. There was just enough light in the tight space to see it glow in her eyes, and he was taken aback by how much love and passion there was in them. He felt himself harden just by the sight.

"Come out, come out, little Bug and Kitten. You can't hide forever…." Copulator's voice called from nearby then fading. The coast wasn't clear.

"Why...why aren't the suits helping?" She asked breathing heavy, her gaze pleading. He looked back with raw desire.

"Because we're touching. Because this isn't the lust he forced upon us. Deep down, we both want this."

He couldn't help himself from lightly grazing his fingertips from the tip of her tailbone, up her spine to her neck. She shivered deliciously in his arms, a muffled whimper slipping from behind her bitten lip. The sight combined with the friction she was making against his crotch made him groan.

"Ugh...do you know what that does to me?" He asked, running his hand back down her spine. Her fingers lightly scratched up his neck and wound into his hair as another moan was held back. He felt little sparks wherever her nails touched. He grabbed her ass in both of his hands and squeezed. Her eyes shut and her head fell back as a full moan escaped her lips, unrestricted. He felt himself twitch in response.

He dipped his head down against her neck and let his breath trail across the suit and kissed just under her jaw where her skin was uncovered. Her grip flexed into his locks as she raised her head back up, their bodies locked in a half dip. Most of her weight was pressed against his crotch, something he appreciated.

He could feel the warmth and smoothness from her lips as they barely touched. He wanted to kiss her so badly, the fate of the world be damned.

Just as their lips touched, the shrill beep of his ring filled the small space. They pulled back from the kiss, their lips just barely touching again. He could see the sad look in her eyes through her lashes.

"Lucky Charm." He could feel her lips move as she whispered the words. The space around them glowed with a pink light from above their heads, and something dropped into his open palm, his other hand still holding her to him.

"What is it?" She asked softly, trying to look over her shoulder at what he was holding behind her back.

"It's a padlock." He responded, confused on where this would lead them. Unable to see it, she paused for a moment.

"I think he's far enough for us to get out of here." She looked in his eyes, scratching under his chin. "One day we'll finish this, Chaton." He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, whispering in her ear.

"I'm counting on it, Bugaboo."

The breeze felt cold to his body now that he was out of the tight space. The suit took the opportunity to wash new coldness over him since they weren't touching anymore and he appreciated it for a moment before it became unbearably uncomfortable again.

He dropped the red padlock with black spots into her open palm. She didn't look too comfortable either. She turned it over in her hands inspecting it carefully, while looking around in hopes of the meaning of it to come to her.

"Anything?" He asked, keeping a lookout for Copulator. The night looked calm as far as his eyes could see.

"Nothing's specifically being shown to me...but I have an idea." She said lightly. He could tell the gears were turning in her head as she spoke.

"I see him. He's coming." Chat said, sliding into a stance that was ready for a fight.

He felt a searing heat on his shoulder and it shot down to his groin, making him grunt. She pulled her hand away, and he saw her shiver as he looked back to her.

"Uh, sorry. I need you to play along when he gets here, then beat me to Pont des Arts. Okay?" He nodded in response. That was a pretty good idea of where the lock was supposed to go.

Just as Copulator got close enough to see them, she grabbed his hand and pulled away from him, as if she wanted to drag him somewhere with her. It wasn't a strong enough pull to move him though.

"Chat, I can't hold back anymore! I...I need to go to _him_." Ladybug shouted, the feigned fear noticeable to him. "Let-Let me go!" It took him a second to catch on, his voice thick at first. He resisted her pull.

"N-no, Ladybug! You can't go...you can't go because... I-I need to be with you!" He wanted to smack himself, honestly. This can't possibly sound convincing. He could hear Copulator chuckling.

"It won't be long now, Hawkmoth." Copulator said lowly, trying not to be a distraction. Chat tried not to roll his eyes. Just how dense is this guy?

Ladybug broke out of his fake grip and started to run away. He fell backwards to make it look good.

"No M'Lady!" Chat called out to her, his arm reaching towards her. Couplator flew past him and looked towards Chat over his shoulder.

"Once I'm done with her, I'll be back for your Miraculous, Cat." He then flew after Ladybug. She had a decent lead on him, but was running in the opposite direction of Pont des Arts. She was trying to buy him some time to beat her there. His Miraculous beeped, another claw down.

"I hope she doesn't give me too much time." He said, starting his run to the bridge over the Seine. It didn't take him long to get there. Looking around, Ladybug and Copulator hadn't arrived yet. He ran his hand against the padlocks attached to the grate on one side of the bridge. How was he supposed to know her plan?

Well, she had a lock. If she's coming here, she would probably attach it along with the others. He peered over the edge and noticed a boat docked near by. Bingo.

After positioning the boat just right under the bridge, he heard Couplator's taunting voice.

"How cute. Brought a lock for your sweetheart? Where is he, Lovebug?" Chat couldn't see either of them. He hoped she knew where he was.

Suddenly, Couplator shouted as he was thrown off the bridge and fell onto the boat, right in front of Chat. A dark purple ring box fell out of his pocket. Gotcha.

Chat stepped on the box, crushing it and letting the Akuma fly away. He saw Ladybug's yoyo catch it when it neared the bridge.

He vaulted away from the boat with his baton, the beeping of his Miraculous non stop. Just as soon as he got to a rooftop, the transformation dropped, Plagg floating into his open hands, exhausted. The water from his shower earlier dripped from the tips of his hair onto Plagg.

"Ugh..did you bring any cheese?" He asked, dazed. Adrien fished a small wedge wrapped in plastic out of his pocket.

"This time I remembered. Here, eat." He handed the piece over to Plagg who starting munching away.

As he looked out to the city, he saw a million ladybugs fly through the streets, repairing all the chaos created by Copulator. It was a warm, tingly and refreshing feeling when they swarmed around him, removing the forced lust. He sighed in relief and took a minute to relax and have his feelings return back to normal. Just then, he noticed Ladybug flying through the sky jumping from rooftop to rooftop, no doubt heading home before her transformation dropped.

It only took a few seconds from looking at her to realize he still had a stiff hard-on and he wanted to pick up from where they left off in that electrical closet. Badly.

"Shit." He muttered, combing is bangs back with his fingers. Plagg looked over to him curious. He was almost done with his snack.

"What is it?" He asked. Adrien shook his head, scratching the back of his neck embarrassed.

"It's nothing. We just need to get home. I need to take a shower." Adrien replied a little too quickly.

"But you just had one before we left." Plagg responded, finishing the last bit of cheese in one bite. "Your hair is still wet from it."

"Yeah, well I want another one." He replied hastily. "Are you done? Okay, claws out!" Adrien transformed before he could hear anymore from Plagg and raced home, not bothering with the closing sweep. In one swift motion, he detransformed as he walked through his room, shutting the bathroom door behind him. He turned the spray of the shower as cold as he could as he stripped down.

He hissed as the water pelted him and the icy sensation washed over his body, but it felt as if it did nothing compared to how the suit helped him earlier. He rested his forehead against the tiled wall and let the water rush over his back, making him shiver.

He grabbed his hard dick that still felt hot to him under the cold spray. It was too close of a call today, too many sensations that were tapped into that he tried to keep locked away. He tried to hold back his moan as he pumped himself. It was easy to picture what would have happened if they didn't have to save Paris. If they could stay in that small space as long as they wanted to.

He just wanted to feel her again so badly without having to feel the guilt for doing it. If he could just hold her, kiss her. Just tell her how much he wanted her, how much he loved her.

He rested his weight fully against the cold tiled wall after he came, trying to catch his breath. He felt so exhausted from this entire night, but there was still a pull there that he just couldn't shake.

Once he cleaned up and dried off, he only put his boxers back on. He still felt too warm and needed to cool off. He definitely felt refreshed as he lay on his bed, his hair still damp. He could hear Plagg resuming the video game lets play he had started before patrol as he stared at the ceiling.

Flashes of her pressed up against him and winding her fingers into his hair appeared in his mind. He could very clearly remember the sensation wash down his body as she whispered lucky charm against his lips. The memory warmed his entire body once again, making his dick hard.

"Ugh!" He gripped his hair, shaking his head. This isn't working.

"What's wrong?" Plagg called from over to the computer desk. Adrien stood quickly and walked over to his Kwami.

"Plagg, listen. Do you mind if we go back out?" Plagg paused the video, looking over to Adrien confused.

"Now? Why? I was going to eat more cheese." He remarked, a little disappointed.

"I just...I need to see her." Adrien said quickly, before he could question himself.

"First you rush home instead of stopping by like usual, and now you want to go there? Just what happened tonight?" Plagg asked, his eyes turning more calculating as he crossed his arms.

"Well...a lot okay? I just...I can't sleep feeling like _this._ Please Plagg." Plagg rolled his eyes and swallowed a wedge of cheese whole, nodding that he was ready.

"Claws out!" He wasn't sure if he was just extra sensitive from all the feelings tonight, but as the green lightning caressed over his body, it just made him more hot and bothered.

He ran at top speed across rooftops to get to Marinette's balcony. He hoped she hadn't gone to bed yet. He looked up to see the full moon now in the center of the clear sky, bathing all he could see in a soft glow of light.

He was only a block away. Oh god. He let his adrenaline push him here, but he had no idea what he was going to _say_ , what he was going to _do_ once he saw her.

"Fuck it." He muttered to himself. He's already running off impulse. Might as well not stop now.

A wave of disappointment washed over him as he landed on the balcony. The space was dark except for the cool moonlight, shining over the parts of the balcony that were not covered in shadow. It felt so eerie and quiet, without the soft glow of the stringed lights and Marinette's smile to fill up the space.

He turned to leave. Maybe he'll just run around until he can't keep his eyes open anymore.

His cat ears perked at a soft sound that reached them, coming from behind him. It was so faint that he might not have heard it if he wasn't transformed. He turned around, finding himself still alone on the balcony.

What was it though? It happened so quickly.

"Chat…" Marinette's whisper carried to his ears. His eyes locked on the skylight leading to her room, open.

 _Guess she isn't sleeping_. He surmised as he quietly walked over to the window, kneeling before it and just popping his head into the opening.

 _Oh._

Marinette was there laying on her bed, in a light pink babydoll nightgown. Her head tilted back, hair untied, flowing freely, and eyes closed in ecstasy, her rosy blush washed out in the moonlight. Her nipples were hard against the thin fabric, and he could see the curves and freckles of her bust through the sheerness of the nightgown. Her hand was dipped beneath her messy blanket covering herself from her stomach, down. He couldn't help but release the breath he was holding as she bit her lip and he felt heat pool low in his stomach.

Suddenly she froze and her eyes opened, locking with his. He felt the heat flare up to his neck and face.

"I-I'm...ugh...sorry. I'll j-just go." He stuttered out embarrassed, his eyes squeezed tight to give her some privacy. He quickly pushed his weight back onto his heels and looked up to the moon in the sky as he grabbed his baton, ready to vault himself.

"N-no! Chat-" Marinette yelped from her bed, stopping him in his tracks.

He slowly peaked his head back into the opening. She was sitting up, holding the blanket loosely against her chest, her bluebell eyes pleading.

"Please...stay."


	11. Chapter 11

To celebrate the one year anniversary, reaching almost 400 followers, and as a thank you for reading supporting this story, I'm hosting a Giveaway of Miraculous things I have created!

Giveaway includes:

-One 4x6 print of my original fanart that inspired the reveal scene from Chapter 3

-Choice of a handmade replica of the Ladybug OR Black Cat Miraculous (Earrings are wearable. Ring is one size only.)

-Hand painted Miracle Box to store your Miraculous in

-$5 Starbucks gift card so you can enjoy a chocolate croissant. (I enjoy one whenever I need an inspiration boost :) )

Enter the Giveaway by sending me a PM here on fanfiction saying you want in. This will be the only way to enter. One entry per fanficion account.

Check out my Instagram to view the prizes! Follow me if you'd like:) instagram p/B2xQpwKlltO/ (just get rid of the spaces in your address bar)

Giveaway will be open until 11:59 PM EST USA on Monday October 7th, 2019. The winner will be randomly drawn and announced in the Author's note at the beginning of the next chapter. Winner will be contacted via PM to supply a mailing address to mail the prizes to.

Good luck everyone! Thank you so much for your interest in my story, and thank you to those who have been here from the beginning and comment after each update! I keep my eye out for your reviews! :)

Now for the chapter, it's the one we've all been waiting for- but I must say a disclaimer. There is strong sexual content below. If you choose not to read it, you should be able to pick up at the beginning of the next chapter without missing anything. Also we're picking up immediately from last chapter, so read the last bit if you need a refresher.

Otherwise enjoy! As always, please review with your thoughts:)

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Taking in the sight before him, his eyes darkened. He holstered his baton and skillfully dropped down onto the bed behind her, his feet dangling off the sides. He leaned back against her pillows. She scooted back to close the distance and rested her back against his chest.

"H-hi." She whispered, a little nervous. He didn't need her to be in her suit to feel the heat flare where her back rested against him.

"Hey." He responded softly as he rubbed his hands down his thighs, finally resting them around her waist, the only place that felt comfortable. He rested his chin on her shoulder and her face tilted towards him. He could feel her warm breath against his cheek, sending tingles down his body. She laid her hands on top of his, her arms overlapping his own.

"...You're here a bit late." She stated quietly. He brushed his nose against her neck, breathing in her scent.

"I needed to see you." She sucked in a breath and tilted her head, giving him better access. He let his lips ghost across the smooth skin.

"R-really?" She asked, her voice breathy. Her hands held onto his, keeping herself supported against him, as if she was going to melt away. He felt another wave of heat shoot down to his groin as her thighs rubbed together slowly, bumping her ass against him. His lips trailed up towards her ear. He kissed the sensitive spot just under her earlobe.

"Yes." He answered wholeheartedly. "Do you always wear stuff like this to bed?" He couldn't help but ask.

"No...only when I want to feel...this kind of fabric against my skin…" She softly replied, bashful.

"Did I interrupt something?" He asked sensually and felt her shiver in his grasp. "I heard you call for me."

"Oh, I..um…" She couldn't help moving in his arms to relieve the need for friction and he smirked. She was so adorably shy, but he knew what she wanted. He let his hot breath wash over her skin as he made his way back down her neck to rest his chin once again on her shoulder, feeling so comfortable and safe there. His voice dropped a bit lower.

"Don't stop on my account." He flexed his forearms, gently giving her hands a little push. She let them drop back into her lap, on top of the blanket now pooled around her waist.

"Let me help you." He said huskily and pressed an open mouthed kiss to the sweet spot of her shoulder where it curved at the base of her neck.

" _Oh."_ She gasped suddenly, caught off guard by the sensation. He licked the spot gently with just the tip of his tongue, and she pressed herself more firmly against him, craving more. Careful not to scratch her with his claws, he unwrapped his hands from around her waist and rested his hands on her hips. She felt so good against him, he wanted more.

"Show me what you were doing when you called for me." His lips ghosted over the smooth skin as he spoke. His voice was so low, it was almost a growl. He rested his lips down again and sucked, encouraging her to continue. She moaned as he felt her slowly move, until her hand dipped beneath the blanket, the strap of her nightgown falling off her shoulder.

It was like a lightning bolt of heat shot down to his groin as he heard her moan deeply, knowing full well that he was the reason behind what she was doing right now. He hummed in appreciation. He lavished her neck with kisses as she continued, her head falling back against him. He could not only feel, but see her chest breathing deeply as he gazed down to her hand, gently moving beneath the blanket.

"Don't stop." He breathed in her ear, earning another whimper from her. He stopped himself from gripping her hips too tightly, afraid he was going to scratch her. He ran his hands up her arms and down her sides lightly, growling in frustration that he couldn't fully touch her as he pleased. This suit was made for combat, and this was one of the few times he cursed his claws for not being retractable. He felt her slow down, almost to a stop.

"You…can change back...I promise I won't look." She said shyly. He felt himself twitch in his pants in anticipation.

"Claws in." He said softly. The green light filled the room for a moment as the electricity removed his suit, caressing both of them in the process. He felt Plagg instantly fly away, surely realizing what was happening quickly and went to find Tikki.

He was hit with so much sensation at once. The cool night air on his exposed skin, how soft her bed sheets felt, her warm skin against his chest, her sheer nightgown silky against his skin.

"Mmm." She moaned softly, feeling him against her. She snuggled herself back into his embrace, rubbing her ass against his bulge, his boxers the only thing covering him. He groaned at the sensation. His hair dripped onto both of them from his shower, giving little drops of coolness on their hot skin. He licked some off of her and she moaned deeply.

"Ahh...do you always wear just boxers under the suit?" She asked the parallel to his question from earlier. He smirked against her skin as he freely ran his hands down her sides and thighs, gripping them in appreciation.

"No...tonight was special." He responded huskily. He gently scratched back up her thighs and gripped her hips. "Why'd you stop?" He whispered, licking up the side of her neck, flicking his tongue at the sweet spot just under her ear.

"Chat…" She whimpered softly, melting into his embrace. She started to move again and he loved the sounds she made. Each one caressed his skin and sent little flames down to his dick, which her ass rubbed out as she enjoyed her own touch. He groaned.

"I love seeing you like this…feeling you." He massaged her hips, kissing her cheek. She slowly took his hand with her free one and softly dragged it up her body, allowing him to feel the sheer fabric over her smooth stomach until they reached her breast. He caught on and he gently squeezed, bringing a gasp from her lips as she raised her hand to thread her fingers through his wet locks. His hand left her hip and grabbed her other breast as well, and gently massaged them. She moaned and grinded back against him in appreciation. He groaned at the friction. He could tell she was wearing some kind of lacy panties as they rubbed against his boxers.

"Mmm." She hummed as he gently pinched her nipples, her hand never stopping beneath the blanket. His skin felt like it was on fire. He would have never thought he would be able to have this with her right now, with things as complicated as they are. He was pulled out of his thoughts as her hand that was under the blanket was now stopping one of his hands on her breast. She took it and slowly moved it back down her body, dipping them under the blanket. She let his hand go to rest just above her panties, he could feel the top of the lace border at the tips of his fingertips.

"Hm?" He hummed in question as he twisted her nipple gently. She nodded as she turned her face towards him, breathing heavy as she kissed his cheek.

He slowly pushed his fingers under the fabric. He could feel her bite her lip in anticipation against his skin as his fingers brushed lower past a neat patch of curls. He gently dipped his finger into wetness and they groaned in unison.

She was so _warm_. It was like a beacon to him. He slid his finger over her sensitive nub as he moved down and she moaned, deep and low, her head falling back against his shoulder again. He didn't stop playing with her nipple as he moved lower, agonizingly slow until his finger slipped into her deeper. He groaned loudly as she clenched around him.

"Ohmygosh." She breathed, arching her chest into his hand. The action ground herself onto his hand and his finger dipped deeper inside her, her clit pressing against the palm of his hand. It was so wet, so warm, so tight. God, he wished he could be inside her.

"Shhh." He said softly and she relaxed against him, her back resting against his chest again. He slowly pulled his finger back and she whimpered missing the warmth for it to turn into a heated moan as he pushed back in again.

In and out he moved, letting the action grind his palm against her clit. She couldn't stay still against him, her ass rubbing against his dick as she enjoyed what he did to her.

"Oh, Chat. It's so... _good._ " He felt the sparks fly across his body at her words.

" _You_ feel good." He responded, quickening his pace. "You're so amazing, Marinette." She shivered in his grasp, breathless. He could feel her trembling around him.

"Hm?" He hummed, trailing his lips back down her neck, the skin left alone for too long. She nodded as her body shook. He sucked on her sweet spot at the base of her neck as his finger curled within her, pressing against her sensitive spot. Her hands flew to her mouth, muffling a scream as her walls spasmed against him as she came. He kept pumping in and out of her slower and slower as she rode out her orgasam. He gently pulled his finger out, giving a soft rub to her clit as he pulled his hand away. He kissed her cheek as she regained her breath.

"That… was.." She was at a loss for words. He smirked as he rested his chin on her shoulder, feeling accomplished. He tried to ignore his dick twitching hard in his pants, bordering on being painful. The loss of friction didn't go unnoticed.

"Chat...behind you on the shelf should be a scarf." She whispered. He bent his arm behind this head and could feel the soft silky material, something light and similar to her nightgown. He handed it to her and she tied the sheer fabric around her head, using it has a blindfold.

"It's not perfect, but I promise I won't look." She swore as she turned around, now facing him on her knees. He rubbed his hands up her arms and gently cupped her face in his hands.

"I don't mind if you look, Princess." He said earnestly as his fingers trailed over the fabric until he reached the knot she tied in the back. He gently grabbed the edge of the scarf, ready to pull the tie appart. She quickly reached up and grabbed his hands, stopping him.

"You know that's not safe. What..." She paused. "What do you think Ladybug would say?" She admonished him. He said it before he could think against it.

"I have a feeling Ladybug knows where I am." She brought his hands down, and ran her hands up his arms until she reached his shoulders, using them for leverage as she straddled him. He shifted himself to make sure they were both comfortable and rested his hands on her hips as she sat down on his crotch.

"Ahh." He moaned at the feeling of warmth pressed against his dick. It was so addictive. He squeezed her hips as she sighed happily, enjoying the sensation as well. The way the heat flared in his body as he felt the warmth of her barely covered chest pressed against his was indescribable. He squeezed her hips in appreciation, moving his hands to grab her ass giving it a tight squeeze as well. She moaned deeply.

He could now tell her panties had a silky smooth texture, with a lace border that framed her ass nicely, as he could feel the smoothness of her cheeks poking out each side. He let his hands roam all over her ass and down her thighs, trying to commit it to memory.

She ground down onto him and he groaned, deep and low. She leaned forward, her lips just touching his, like earlier in the electrical closet. God, that felt like a century ago.

"Shhh." She whispered, trying to keep them quiet. He couldn't hold himself back as he kissed her, just like earlier. Continuing to rock against him, she kissed him back with so much passion, finally able to be free to do what she wanted with him.

It felt amazing to feel this unrestricted with her. No, it wasn't everything, but it was so much more than what they've been dealing with. He wasn't sure if there was help from the suits, but he couldn't help feeling the guilt more so when they were transformed.

Taking a much needed breath, she dipped her head down to his neck, trailing her lips across his cheek on the way.

"My turn." She whispered, and then he felt her hot, wet tongue gently lick his neck, tentatively. He gasped as the breath was knocked out of him and he ground up against her, holding her ass firmly in place. She grinned against his skin and continued licking, biting and sucking on different areas of his neck, learning which spots he liked most.

He was buzzing with all the overwhelming sensation and he hoped he had made her feel just as good as she was making him feel right now.

"Ugh…I'm not going to last much longer…" He groaned again as she gently blew cool air on his ravished neck.

"What are you waiting for?" She whispered sensually as she ground down on him harder, purposely.

Oh god, her Ladybug was showing, and it was hot. This woman was going to be the death of him. He wished they could have it all, that she could look into his eyes right now, that he could feel what it was like to be _inside_ her right now.

She rocked against him faster when she felt him tense beneath her, and he gently pulled her head up from his neck to kiss her with everything he had as he came.

He shifted to lay back more, and took her with him. They were a tangled mess of limbs as they tried to catch their breath.

"That...was…" He started, completely spent. He felt her smirk against his chest.

"That's what I said." She responded, exhausted. He shook her as he laughed, not able to hold back the chuckle he had while seeing her still in the blindfold. He reached to take it off. She brought her hand up to stop him once again.

"No. Like I said, too dangerous." He didn't move his hand away.

"But before, when I said-"

"Yes. I know. You shouldn't have admitted it, but it's hard to ignore the stacking evidence. There can't be another explanation for how you knew to come here when you did. Why you _wanted_ to at that exact moment. But-"

He kissed her suddenly, too overwhelmed with relief that she _knew_. She kissed him back, enjoying the moment. As she kissed him, he could feel that she understood every emotion running through him right now, and reciprocated it. After they had calmed down, she smiled and continued.

" _But…"_ She emphasized by playfully poking him in the chest. "That doesn't mean we can just throw everything to the wind. The reason we don't know who each other are is simply so we can't hurt each other in battle if we're akumatized, or make mistakes because we have extra emotion on the line."

"We've already broken the rule of the latter without knowing our identities." He interrupted. She paused.

"Yeah, I'll have to agree with that. But that's bad enough. Seriously, you don't know how much I want to look into your eyes and see _you_ , Chaton." He held her closer against him as her voice started to sound thick with tears. "But we found this out by chance. In the beginning, you didn't know who I was, when you stopped by to chat often." He nodded.

It was true, in the very beginning, he didn't know.

"But this is killing me. I see you all the time Marinette, and I feel like I'm _lying_ to you." He said desperately. It took her a moment to reply, the gears turning in her head.

"You know me...without being Chat?" She said softly, the information still seeping in.

Oh no. Maybe he shouldn't have said that. She keeps saying she doesn't want to know right now. He tilted his head down to kiss her, to show her how sorry he felt. She kissed him back, a bit cautious at first, but she finally relaxed.

"We can leave it alone for now. I understand your reasons, M'Lady." He said softly. She rested against him and nodded. They were so comfortable, he felt so warm. He closed his eyes once feeling how tired he was, and couldn't get the strength to open them again.

The next thing he felt was his nose being nipped and he opened his eyes to Plagg's, very close to his face.

"We need to go home, kid." Plagg said. Adrien couldn't decide if he sounded mad and annoyed, or bored and hungry. Giving a quick flex to each of his muscles, he recalled what had happened the night before. Marinette, his Lady, was still tangled up with him fast asleep. He pushed her bangs to the side, her blindfold pushed off in their sleep. She was beautiful, as always.

"She's going to see if she wakes up. You have to go." Tikki said as she flew into his vision.

"Hey Tikki." Adrien whispered a bit nervous.

"You sound scared and you should, Chat." She replied matter-of-factly.

"You do not want to be on Tikki's bad side." Plagg lamented from past experience. Adrien turned towards Tikki.

"I'm sorry." He said honestly. "I just love her. Both sides of her. I always have. It took me some time to realize, but I always have." Her eyes softened.

"I know." She responded. "Now go, I have to wake her up to start getting ready. You both have that fashion class today." Adrien's eyes widened.

"Oh god, it's that late already?" He said as he carefully untangled from her. He was grateful that he was only in his boxers. He felt sweaty and gross...especially the mess inside his boxers. He couldn't wait for his shower.

"Plagg, Claws out." He whispered, and transformed. He couldn't help himself and kissed her cheek goodbye. One nod to Tikki and he was off, jumping over rooftops as the sun started to rise in the Parisian sky, bright pinks and oranges as far as he could see.

It was just a few moments before he got to see her again.


	12. Chapter 12

Hello all! I am so happy to post this next chapter!

I would also like to announce the winner of the Giveaway from random draw! Congratulations Mayuralover! I want to thank all of those who entered!

Now, I just want to say something to this fandom in reaction of all the buffoonery with Zag and season 3.

First, this is a full-fledged company, I have NO IDEA why they are releasing episodes out of order and spoiling their own content. If you haven't been keeping up with episode releases on youtube, I would suggest just waiting until season 3 ends and watch them in order according to the episode list on wikipedia.

Second, I must say, I have never disliked the direction that any show/movie series has decided to go in (even if it has diverged from the original content, such as a book, comic or manga) out of respect of being a fellow artist. But I must say, even will all the relationship bs that's going on in this show, I'm just not a huge fan of how the series is handling miraculous, powers, and character development. I feel like good storylines are forgotten about, and certain things are just not consistent.

Originally this story was expected to be somewhat cannon, where everything that happened in the show is accepted but also passed over because of the time jump in this story. But with the way the show is going right now, I'm officially not cannon (;(

And lastly, with all of the shenanigans with whats happening with season 3 and the frustration, I extended the end of this chapter to not leave you all with a sour cliffhanger, because honestly this fandom is dealing with enough right now!

And with all of that being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I was fun to write and I can't wait to post the next one! Let me know your thoughts as always:)

(THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING WITH ME AND THIS STORY FOR THE PAST YEAR. WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW GREATFUL I AM TO HAVE YOUR SUPPORT AND INSPIRATION TO KEEP WRITING)

* * *

"...and with that being said, next class we'll be taking a one day field trip to the Vanoise National Park. You'll have a few hours to sketch a design for the contest. We'll have dinner in Vanoise and then head home. As you well know being a full time designer, other projects will pop up during the duration of larger and longer ones, and they must be done simultaneously. So there will be no extended time for your Ladybug and Chat Noir collection. I expect you to keep pace as if you never had to do this extra assignment."

Adrien took a generous gulp from his latte as Professor Chatel finished explaining the extra assignment for next class, trying to stay awake. He could hear the sounds of disappointment and frustration from the rest of the room. He glanced over to Marinette who had a spark of inspiration in her eyes, excited about the field trip and assignment.

Since he barely had time to get ready after returning home, they had to rush to class to avoid being late. It had left no time for them to talk or for him to feel awkward, which he was grateful for.

Professor Chatel called for himself and Marinette to approach her desk along with another pair as the rest of the class set forth on their designs. He took another swig of this quickly cooling drink, hoping it would give him the will to take on whatever called for the private conversation, his nerves starting to kick in.

"Well as I'm sure you've noticed, you both are the only pairs who are finished with your muslin." Adrien glanced behind him. Most groups were starting to cut out their muslin pattern pieces, others still sketching. Sure, it's been a few weeks, but he didn't think they were so far ahead of everyone, with completely sewn mockups of their designs.

"So the next step is your preliminary fitting with your models. They've been selected for you, but unfortunately they aren't scheduled to come in until after the field trip. But as planned, your model was picked to match the size of your partner." There was a pause among the group. Adrien blinked.

"Wait, what?" Marinette questioned.

"So that's why you had us do that measuring exercise a few weeks ago." A student from the other pair commented, catching on.

"Yes," Chatel continued. "We used the data you handed in to select your models, so you can do fittings for minimal things inbetween the model visits." She took in the looks of disbelief from the four infront of her. "Yes, this is probably the only unrealistic part of this assignment, but the school is not willing to pay the models to come in frequently. You only have two, possibly three fittings before you show your piece for your grade."

That took the group back for a moment. He could feel the tension rise between the three people standing with him. That's not much fitting time for a design that will take the whole semester to create.

"So with that being said, you can do your preliminary fitting today with your partner in the fitting room across the hall." The group was dismissed. Adrien and Marinette gathered their things. He looked over to her, surprised she hasn't commented on the predicament they were forced into. She looked taken aback, to say the least. It's possible she hadn't processed everything yet, he knew he was having trouble himself.

Across the hall was a large room with a bunch of privacy screens, platforms, and shelves with alteration tools. Since there were only two groups using the room at this time, they took the opportune space and set up across the room from each other. After they set their designs on hangers and hung them from the privacy screens, the air felt a little awkward.

"Um...well.." Marinette nervously trailed off, not sure of what to say as her cheeks grew a light shade of pink. Adrien pretended not to notice and pulled off his shirt.

"It's fine, I'll go first. I'm used to this anyways." He took the jacket off the hanger to get to the muslin shirt, turning to Marintte as he held it up. "Maybe you should help me with this, I don't want to rip the stitches." Her eyes were glued to his torso, her blush deepening. Her glance finally locked with his after processing his request and she stood, as if running on autopilot. She took the shirt from him and stood on the platform as he raised his arms. The platform didn't fix their height difference, but it definitely helped.

The moment they stood close together, he felt a bit warmer. It was adorable how shy she was. He was met with her gaze again when his head pulled through the collar of the shirt and he lowered his arms, both of them unable to look away.

A stool screeching across the tiled floor distracted them, and Marinette grabbed her soft ruler. She went about her work nervously, quickly measuring the garment against him, trying her best not to make too much contact. He couldn't help but smirk. She was so shy now but just a few hours ago…

Hold up Agreste. Getting a boner during this fitting wouldn't be good. Marinette pulled the shirt off of him, her knuckles gently grazing across his skin. Her fingers felt so warm.

"S-sorry!" She quickly apologized, trying not to stare at his chest as she handed him back his shirt. His hand lingered on hers for a moment until she finally looked up at him.

"It's really fine Marinette. Don't worry about that stuff." He said to her warmly, trying to get her more comfortable. She nodded numbly, holding up the jacket next. He turned his back to her and held his arms out. She gently put the jacket mock-up on him, careful to not let it tear.

He felt so comfortable in that moment. He felt a sort of..pride in the action; that it was her doing this with him. Possibly one day, she could be doing the same action, helping him into his suit jacket to set off for work, and he could kiss her cheek along with their kids on the way out….

"H-how does it feel?" She asked shyly, measuring across his shoulders.

"What?" He responded confused, distracted from his fantasy.

"The jacket. Does it feel tight across the back? Can you move your arms enough?" He carefully squared his shoulders, then rotated his arms. He turned around to her, fisting the front of the jacket, as if he put it on himself.

"Maybe just a tiny bit. If anything, an inch total." She nodded a little less flustered, getting back into the swing of work, and scribbled the alteration down in her notebook. They worked together carefully to take off the jacket and she handed him the pants.

"...um, can you manage?" She asked, her blush still ever so lightly present. He chuckled, taking the fabric from her, and walked around the privacy screen.

"Yes, I should be fine. I'll be careful." He quickly changed, leaving the pants unbuttoned. He didn't want to risk putting too much strain on the garment. As he came around, he watched Marinette's gaze go directly to where his black boxers were visible.

"I didn't want to risk it." He said as he held the fabric as close together as he could without putting strain on the seams. She nodded and made herself busy with the measurements, kneeling at his feet to inspect where the cuff fell. She measured up the outer seam of his leg, glancing up to him before moving to the inner seam, her hand naturally resting on his hip to steady herself.

His gaze locked with hers and he could feel the warmth creep up his face as he saw it darken on hers. Her kneeling in front of him, the perfect position to…

He shyly looked away, coughing. Think about anything else. Plagg eating stinky _fucking_ camembert. Ugh, that stuff reeked.

Marinette quickly measured the inner seam touching him as little as possible, pretending nothing had happened. As soon as she was done he changed. She was taking the pantsuit off the hanger as he came around the screen, happy to be less exposed.

"I'll...help you zip up when you're ready." He quietly said. She disappeared without a word behind the screen. This is definitely harder for her than it was for him. At least he knew, and could understand why he felt so comfortable around her.

"Y-you can come back here." She called timidly from behind the screen. Her back was to him when she came into view, her hands holding the top of the garment to her chest; her black, lace bra on the ground. As she looked over her shoulder at him, her braid fell, hanging between her shoulder blades. He gulped. Gosh, she was beautiful.

As he walked over to her she held out one arm, the other still holding the fabric to her chest. He helped her ease into the sleeve. It was such a simple thing they were doing but he felt so warm, so tingly. He moved her braid back over her shoulder as she switched hands.

And that's when he saw it, a dark purple and red hickey, just where her neck and shoulder met.

 _His handiwork._

He was entranced by it, flashes of what they did just a few hours ago playing in his mind. Without thinking, he rested his hand against her hip as his other let his fingers lightly ghost over the spot.

Feeling her tense brought him out of the spell and he nervously scratched the back of his neck as she peered over her shoulder at him once more, questioning. He busied himself with helping the other sleeve over her arm, and zipping up the garment slowly.

"What is it?" She asked, shyly. Did she not know? Maybe she didn't see it in her rush to get ready. He cleared his throat.

"Um, it's nothing. I uh...didn't realize you had freckles on your shoulders." It wasn't a lie, it was also something he noticed...it was just last night when he did.

They both walked out together, Adrien fishing the soft ruler off the stool and Marinette standing near the edge of the platform within his reach. Professor Chatel glided into the room then and all the students tensed, trying to look more professional. She walked over to Adrien's fitting first.

"How is it going?" She asked, taking in Marinette before her. Marinette was first to respond.

"Well. We already finished one fitting." Chatel nodded peering over at Marinette's alteration notes, turning the page over.

"I see. Not too many things to alter. And your piece?" Chatel turned her attention between him and his garment. He coughed nervously.

"Um well, I was just starting to measure. I'm not as talented as Marinette with the sewing machine though, so I'm sure there will be things I need to adjust."

"Honestly, I don't think there's much." Marinette spoke up, shifting in the pantsuit a bit to test it out. She pinched the seams under her arms and adjusted the fabric around her bust. "Possibly here, but I wouldn't make too big of an alteration until you see the bust size of your model. Just leave ample fabric in the seams so you have room to adjust either way." Chatel nodded in agreement and patted Adrien's shoulder.

"You're in good hands. You'll learn a lot from miss Dupain-Cheng. Still take the measurements for your notes, but the garments look acceptable for the next step." Chatel commented as she took in Marinette's piece, hanging back on the hanger, put together. She nodded and moved on to the other pair in the room.

Adrien let out a sigh. Marinette giggled.

"Don't worry, you're doing fine." She encouraged, holding her arms out so he could start measuring.

They were more comfortable with each other for the rest of the day. Their remaining class was uneventful and boring. He spun around in his desk chair at home, just finishing his math exercise for their business class. Plagg was watching some videos online, but he wasn't in the mood to get into that when he had to shower soon for patrol.

He opened his desk drawer and fished out the hat Marinette made for Chat, admiring her handiwork. It still amazed him that someone put so much hard work into something for _him_. He couldn't wait until it was cold out just so he had an excuse to wear it on patrol. He slipped it on, walking to his closet. He opened the door to see what he looked like in the mirror without his cat ears poking through the holes.

It did look a bit silly, so he definitely wouldn't be able to wear it regularly. Well, if he could have worn it without Marinette noticing in the first place.

His fingers brushed against the cuff of the hat, feeling her 'M' inscription embroidered into the material, with delicate filigree around it. He smirked. She was so creative, signing her work. His mind flashed to the pajamas she made him and he realized with all the tension that morning after his birthday, he has yet to try them out. He glanced over his shoulder at the box on his dresser. He'll have to wear them tonight.

As he turned his gaze back to the mirror, something caught his eye.

He might not have noticed it if it wasn't already on his mind, or maybe if his hand wasn't already touching the inscription on his hat. Just inches from his nose, on the edge of the scarf he received for his birthday from his father years ago; hanging in its place on the back of the closet door. It was a tiny, not as precise embroidered word. He picked up the edge and brought it closer to his face for better inspection, squinting.

 _Marinette._

Wait. _Wait._

He pulled off the hat, trying to get a good look at the 'M' inscribed in the cuff. He groaned, frustrated. It was so dark. He quickly strode across the room with the two garments, the pieces clicking together, and compared the two to the inscription on the shirt on the pajama top. The scarf was sloppier, but the way the 'M' in Marinette was embroidered was noticeably the same.

Marinette… made the scarf? That his father gave him?

Why didn't she ever _say anything_?

Is this why this one gift was different from all the other ones from his father? He commissioned Marinette to make him something? Wait, that doesn't make sense. His brow scrunched in frustration.

His birthday was before the derby hat contest that year, so his father had no knowledge of Marinette's existence at that point.

He had to ask Natalie.

"Ah well you see Adrien…" Natalie trailed off, her gaze not leaving the scarf in his hands.

"You don't have to lie. I know father has you get my gift every year, I just want to know why this was different." Adrien calmly asked. Natalie finally looked up to him, embarrassed.

"Well, that year was the first that your father had me get your gift. Except, he didn't let me know he wanted me to do it until the day of your birthday. Someone dropped off that gift for you earlier that day, and I had nothing else I could give you at that time. You know, with the akuma attack and all. I'm sorry I never told you. You just looked so...happy." He nodded, feeling the pang of hurt go through his chest.

"Thank you for telling me Natalie. Don't worry, I'm not upset."

Honestly, he was upset. What he wasn't, was surprised. He turned in the shower to grab his shampoo, scrubbing it into his locks.

Of course his father wasn't getting him his birthday gifts. He hadn't even noticed his assistant's blunder. Adrien frowned as he rinsed his hair. He felt like a fool for loving the gift so much when the intention wasn't even there. He stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist after tousling his hair.

But the intention was there. It just was from Marinette, not his father.

It was such a kind, creative and loving gift, just like all her others. But, she didn't even know him well back then. Did…

...did she care about him all the way back then?

He concluded that he wasn't sure as he jumped from one rooftop to another. He tried to recall how she was when they met. Marinette was one of his first ever friends, everything she did was so kind and caring. She was so shy and clumsy back then. He never took it as anything else.

He jumped down next to her. She turned to him and smiled, the love in her gaze unabashed.

He would have to ask her somehow.

An uneventful patrol brought them to their closing point at the Eiffel Tower. They gazed over the calm city as they sat on the edge, their feet dangling beneath them. It was hard to fight the urges to put his arm around her and hold her to him, or to hold her hand, or to kiss the tip of her cute nose.

"So… are you coming by tonight?" She asked quietly, not looking away from the night sky.

"Absolutely. That is, if you'll have me." He answered softly. She tipped her head back, her hands holding her weight behind her and glanced over to him. Her gaze was so happy, so loving. Free.

"I wish you could be over all the time, Chaton." He smirked. They already spent so much time together, but he couldn't help but feel the same. They both stood and he took her hand, kissing the back of it.

"One day m'Lady, I promise I will be." He lifted his gaze to hers, not moving away from her hand. He hoped she could see the passion in his eyes, the sincerity in the vow he just took. She smiled back at him, and he knew she would hold him to that promise, if he were ever to deviate.

"I'll see you soon." She whispered excitedly. They both jumped off the tower in opposite directions. He took the closing sweep quickly, not expecting much to be amiss given the good report from their patrol. He effortlessly landed on her bed, jumping down directly through the open skylight. She was sitting at the foot of the bed, facing him. She was wearing maroon tank top with navy booty shorts that showed ample amounts of her thighs. She was just finishing tying her scarf over her eyes. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's so funny?" She asked playfully. He whispered his detransformation, allowing Plagg to go find Tikki.

"Are you going to wear a blindfold every time I'm here?" He asked, amusement still in his voice. He grabbed her hands gently, pulling her to him.

"Listen here, you reckless Cat. At least one of us has to be responsible in this relationship." It would have been serious if she wasn't smirking. He felt his heart soar at her declaration.

"And who says you're the responsible one? Hunh? How do you know I didn't already take _responsible_ precautions?" He questioned as he poked at her sides, making her giggle. She crawled into his lap, giving him a chaste kiss. His hands held her hips and he couldn't fight the grin coming onto his face.

"You didn't get the spots because you're too much of a goofball, duh." She responded, trying to hold back her giggle. He gasped, feigning despair.

"How could my Lady do this to me after I've worked so hard for her?" He questioned. She couldn't hold back her giggles. He let his hands trail up her sides and to her shoulders, his voice becoming serious but calm.

"Seriously, do you trust me?" He asked her and she stilled, biting her lip.

"I do. With my life." She responded sincerely.

He wasted no time in pulling the blindfold off.

"Chat no! No trust! Bad Kitty!" She scolded him, her hands flying to her face. He laughed wholeheartedly.

"Marinette seriously. I took _responsible_ precautions remember?" She hesitantly peeked from in between two fingers, making sure to obscure her vision.

"What, what are you _wearing?_ " She asked him incredulously, lowering her hands and trying not to laugh.

"Like it? I made it myself!" He pointed at a poorly made mask. It was just a wide piece of fabric tied around his head like her scarf had been, with uneven eye holes cut and hand stitched.

"Pfffft. You look like a wannabe ninja." She responded, touching the fabric over his temple, her smile mirthful and loving.

"Yes, yes. I was going for ninja." He responded enthusiastically. She shook her head in denial.

"I'll make you a proper one for next time. You had a really good idea, but I just can't take you seriously with your eyes so uneven. But at least…" She kissed him. He kissed her back, his arms circling around her and pulled her closer to him, her chest now pressing against his.

"You can see me." He finished for her after they finished the kiss. She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder, cuddling in his embrace.

They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying their slice of freedom.

"Can I ask you something?" She quietly asked, drawing circles on his arm with her fingertips.

"A question for a question?" He responded, rubbing his hand across her back, looking up to the stars through the skylight. She nodded in his embrace.

"When...when did you find out? Did you look that night you kissed me?" She asked. Her voice was shy, not angry or disappointed, like he had expected.

"Well…" His hand moved up to her hair, letting it comb through her silky strands, no longer in the braid she wore today. "Technically yes, though I wasn't planning on it. When we moved, something distracted me, and I looked without thinking. I was honestly going to hold my promise and not look, I'm sorry." She shook her head.

"As bad as it is that one of us knows, I can't regret it in anyway. We can be just a tiny bit _happy_ right now." He felt so relieved she wasn't mad at him. He shifted down and kissed her forehead, hoping she could feel all the gratitude he put forth.

"But, that doesn't mean we don't have to be careful. Honestly, we should be even more so now. If Hawkmoth finds out a way to take advantage of us because of this, these past five years will have been worth nothing." She said sadly. He shifted them until he could look at her fully.

"Hey. I know we're willing to do anything to save Paris, but we also didn't go out and sign up for this either. We have lives, and I'm not going to allow something to stop me from living even less of mine." He could see the gears turning from behind her eyes about his cryptic statement about his life. They were searching, wondering if she could help him in anyway. He kissed her again, hoping she would understand that she shouldn't pry. She smiled as they pulled apart.

"Your turn." She said quietly. He nervously scratched the back of his neck, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks.

"Ah well, it just feels kind of silly." She gave him a look screaming 'what's more silly than you?'. He rolled his eyes. "It's about that best friend of yours." Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Are you...worried?" She asked hesitantly. His hands raised in defense.

"No, no! It's not that! I was just…" He cleared his throat. "I was just wondering what made you fall for him back then." She was surprised. She stayed quiet for a few minutes, choosing her words. He had knots in his stomach.

"Well...when I first met him, he was friends with one of the rudest people I know. So, naturally I thought he was a shitty person too. But then…" He would be lying if his heart didn't take a bit of a blow from her thinking he was a shitty person for even a second. A small fond smile crept its way onto her face as she continued.

"He apologized to me after school. It was raining that day. The way he looked at me as he explained his true self was just...he let himself be fully exposed. Someone I had just met, who I gave hatred towards, let himself be vulnerable, and his soul was beautiful. He gave me his umbrella for me to get home in the rain. I still remember his laugh that day, it was so warm." Her gaze picked back up to his and she started to panic.

"Chat! Don't be upset!" She wiped just under his eye, pushing the tear into the fabric of his mask. She held his face in both of her hands. "Adrien will always have a place in my heart, I will always be there for him. But what _we_ have…" She kissed him, unable to find the right words. He kissed her back as he let the tears flow calmly down his face.

He has no idea how he became so lucky to have this girl in his life. She held his face in her hands once more.

"Please don't be upset. Nothing will take me away from you, I promise." He was just about to respond when her phone started vibrating, the screen light bouncing across the ceiling. She sat up, curious and confused. She looked at the screen. He quirked an eyebrow. Who would call her so late?

"Who is it?" He asked, unable to mask his curiosity.

"It's my friend, Luka." She picked up the call.

"Hello? Oh hey Luka...no it's not _that_ late. I was up." She winked at him. "How's the tour?...Oh really?! That's great? Adrien? Yeah, I can send you his number. Okay, I'll see you soon! Bye!" She hung up and put her phone on her shelf behind him. Her chest pressed up against his as she reached over him. He circled his arms around her back, not allowing her to get up, and she giggled.

"A boy I should know about?" Chat said teasingly. There was just a hint of worry in his words. He's known that Luka had feelings for Marinette in the past, and he honestly doesn't know if anything ever happened between them. It was certainly possible, especially if Marinette had accepted that being Adrien's best friend was enough at some point. She giggled again and shook her head.

"Luka is just a friend, don't worry. We definitely have a special kind of relationship. He's a nice guy that's always looked out for me, but nothing really went anywhere with him." He breathed a sigh of relief.

"And Adrien? As in Adrien Agreste? Why does your friend want his number?." Chat asked, pretending he didn't know anything.

"Adiren is my best friend. Luka is in a band on tour with some of our other friends and they're making a stop in Paris this weekend. Not sure what he wants Adrien for though." He wasn't sure either, but he would be expecting a call from Luka.


	13. Chapter 13

Hello all! So excited to post this chapter! Super pumped to write the next one as well, but I have a busy week ahead of me so I have to hold back:(

If you haven't heard the song featured in this chapter (Train's cover of Umbrella by Rihanna) before, I would suggest you listen to a bit, to get a feeling for the song, because it definitely sounds different than the original. Listening to this song was one of the main inspiration points of writing this story. Though, the way it was going to be used was not decided when I started writing. I'm really happy with how this turned out:)

So please, enjoy! Let me know what you think as always!

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving to all who celebrate. For those who don't, I hope you have a wonderful day. I am very thankful for all of you!

* * *

Luka didn't waste much time before he called. Adrien smirked as he sipped from his latte that next morning in the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

"There's one thing I'd like to do though, if you're willing." He said, watching as Marinette passed his table to serve a customer the pastry they ordered, his eyes glued to her ass when it came into his view.

"Yeah, safe trip back man." She settled down at the table to study just as he was hanging up.

"Who was that?" She pretended like she didn't know as she pulled out her notebooks. He smirked.

"Oh that was Luka. The band's coming back this weekend before they head over to Japan." She finally let the excitement spread across her face.

"Oh really?! That's great! We'll have to tell Alya and Nino right away so they can make it over." Adrien nodded, smiling.

"He asked me to perform with them, since they'll be local. He then asked me to consider leaving with them. Again." They both rolled their eyes at the same time and laughed.

"But what did you ask him for?" Marinette asked curiously after she shook her head, brushing off the remaining laughter. He shrugged and gave her a challenging look, unable to stop flirting.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She blinked.

"But, I heard you when I passed!" She pointed a finger, accusing. He grabbed it and held it, his elbow resting on the table next to his drink.

"Guess you'll just have to figure it out." He gave her a sultry look. Surprised, a blush crept across her cheeks and his started to warm as he realized his blunder. He pulled away, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"Heh, sorry. I'm going to run to the bathroom before we get started, kay?" He got up before she could respond. He quickly made his way over to the bathroom, making sure he didn't trip over anything like that other time.

He stared himself down in the mirror. He has to get a grip. He's acting way too comfortable around her when he shouldn't. He supposed he could blame it on the excitement from Luka's phone call, what he was planning to do with the band. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, his blonde locks brushing against his forehead.

He has to be more careful. He was so close to kissing her hand while he held it. Something very Chat, and not Adrien. Plagg didn't bother to come out and chastise him as he was asleep in his pocket; the Kwami's sleep schedule being shifted from the late nights at Marinette's. He patted the pocket gently as he left the bathroom and walked back to their table.

"Alright, so what were the pages for the assignment?"

The week passed by quickly, the classes and shoots earning a natural rhythm. He spent his moments of free time working on his surprise. He smiled as he played through the melody on his piano once again.

"When will it enddddd?" Plagg whined from his spot on the computer desk, nestled in between the headphones resting in front of the keyboard. Adrien smirked and rolled his eyes, finishing the measure and marking a note down on his sheet music.

"We'll be playing tomorrow night, so stop whining." He said as he walked into the bathroom to take his pre-patrol shower.

He glanced in the mirror, toulsing a hand through his locks as he judged the trim he got today. It wasn't his usual hairdresser, but she did a good job. It didn't look different to the general person as he kept the same hairstyle always, but he felt a bit lighter.

His thoughts ran to Marinette as he stepped under the spray. He hoped she would like the surprise, hoped she would realize it was meant for her. He turned the water just a bit hotter, letting the heat soothe the muscles in his back that he's been straining with the extra time being hunched over the piano. He released a relaxed sigh as he grabbed for his shampoo.

The band hasn't been home in Paris for over six months. He remembered when they landed the gig to open for Jagged Stone's world tour. Marinette put together a party to send them off and as a thank you for promoting her designs on their tour. Everyone was there from their old class, even Chloé and Sabrina.

" _You know, you can come with us, Adrien."_ Luka's voice rang in his head as he recalled their time alone at the party.

" _You know I can't, Luka. I have… too much going on here." Luka shrugged._

" _But, does modeling for your Dad make you happy? I know that making your own music makes you happy. Plus, you make us sound even better when you play with us." Adrien shook his head._

" _You already signed a contract with Jagged. One that didn't involve me." Teal locks shook and blue eyes were rolled._

" _It's Jagged. You know he'll welcome you in a heartbeat." He was right. Adrien took a gulp from his drink, thinking of what to say that would sound convincing enough._

" _There are also other things here in Paris that I can't just leave, even if my Father was willing to let me go." Like saving the city from Akumas._

 _If only he could tell him. Viperion isn't as important as Chat. He had the freedom to leave. Not only did they have a group of good people to lend Miraculous to, fighting Hawkmoth has gotten a little more manageable over the years, so the help wasn't always needed. He supposed that if they could get Hawkmoth out of hiding, they would have already defeated him._

 _Luka cleared his throat, bringing him out of his thoughts. Adrien's eyes were met with a serious stare._

" _Well you better take care of those things before they slip away from you, man."_

The shower ran cold.

He quickly turned the tap off, shivering as he grabbed his towel. Plagg phased through the door as he toweled off his hair.

"Going to be late!" He sang as he flew around Adrien's head.

"Plagg! When will you learn to give me just a _few_ minutes of fucking privacy?" Adrien retorted, whipping his towel at the Kwami who easily dodged.

"Just hurry it up!" Plagg laughed as he phased back through the door. He continued drying himself off, catching his eyes in the mirror.

".. _take care of those things before they slip away.."_ His brow furrowed. Was he...was he talking about Marinette?

"So Chat, I'm going to have to skip patrol tomorrow to go to the band playing." Marinette murmured against his chest as he ran her hair though his fingers. He hummed.

"I also have to do something tomorrow funny enough, but I can probably do a quick sweep late, just to make sure everything's okay. You will be thoroughly missed, M'Lady." She glanced up to him, running her soft fingertips across the bottom of his cheeks and his nose where the Marinette-quality ninja mask rested.

"Do you think...patrols are even working?" She asked gently, unconfident. He glanced up to the stars through her skylight, weighing the facts.

"It's true that not too much happens at night, we could probably get by with just akuma alerts. But one day he's going to slip up, and give away where he's hiding, that bastard. Plus, without patrols…" He kissed her, and she kissed back, sweet and slow. His heart sang every time she did, and he could feel she knew what he was saying without him finishing. He did anyway, proud of the fact.

"...you wouldn't be mine yet." She giggled.

"Are you sure you would have stayed so committed into courting me for so long?" She teased. He kissed her forehead.

I have, and will always love you Marinette, my Lady.

He walked into the bakery mid morning, finding Alya and Nino at a table in the corner.

"Hey Dude!" Nino got up and hugged him, clapping his back. Adrien laughed and grabbed his hand in their bro handshake as they pulled apart.

"Hey man, it's been a minute." Alya got up and gave him a hug as well.

"How is everything?" She asked as they all sat back down, waiting for everyone else.

"Everything's great! Can't complain." He smiled as Marinette came out from the kitchen with fresh pastries to restock the display.

"So when'd you get together?-Ow!" Nino rubbed his ribs as he glared at Alya who looked like she was ready to kill him. Adrien blushed, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"What? W-we aren't-"

"Nino! I told you not to ask that!" Alya said, embarrassed. Nino shrunk in defeat.

"Sorry, we just thought you might be keeping it from us Dude. Especially after what happened at your birthday- OW! Can you stop?"

"I will if you _stop_ talking!" Adrien held up his hands, trying to make peace.

"Guys, really it's fine-" A plate of pastries was placed in the center of the table, and he glanced up to the beautiful smile of Marinette.

"What are they bickering about now?" She asked him, a giggle ready to escape her lips. She was suddenly glomped by Alya into a hug, which she returned tightly.

"Girl, I missed you! I'm sorry it's been a while since we could visit." Adrien and Nino shared a smile.

"I know, it's okay. Life's been pretty busy for us too." Marinette responded, the girls still locked in the hug. A voice called over to them.

"Busy huh? Pretty sure being on a world tour wins." Everyone's heads whipped to the door, to see Luka, his forearm resting on Juleka's shoulder. Juleka's other hand was around Rose's waist, and Ivan brought up the back with his arm around Myléne.

"They're here!" The girls shouted in unison and ran over to the group, giving everyone a big hug. They boys got up and joined them, greeting the friends they hadn't seen in a long while.

"Alya! We saw your article online about Ladybug and Chat Noir's fight against Chameleon!" Rose said excitedly as she hugged Alya. Her hair was still a pixie cut, but spiked into an edgier hairstyle.

"Rose couldn't stop showing everyone we knew, gushing about how you're our friend." Juleka teased as he brushed her bangs aside, her hair now having an ombre to pink on her purple tips.

"How was the flight?" Adrien asked as he shook Luka's hand. Luka tipped his head back in exasperation, his hair a bit longer than when he left.

"It was terrible and long. A lot of crying kids. I can't wait to get in a solid nap in my own bed before the show." The rest of the group agreed.

"I'm starving though." Ivan commented patting his fit stomach. He shaped up over their time on tour, but still carried broad shoulders. He looked more similar to the shape Kim had back in grade school, but not as tiny of a waist. Myléne nodded in agreement. Having gained a few inches in height since their school days filled her out, and she was a curvy beauty. The couple was also on a healthy lifestyle kick, working out together in the mornings on tour.

"I just pulled some fresh pastries out of the oven. Please have your fill before you go rest. I'm so excited for tonight!" Marientte said eagerly as they all moved back to their table.

The few hours passed so quickly, and he was now on stage at the dive bar, somewhat nervous. It was crazy really, he shouldn't be nervous. He's played with the band when they were home many times on this stage throughout the years.

But this time it was different.

"Here you go, sunshine." He gazed down to Alya handing him a drink from below the small stage, and he reached down for it. He took a sip. Whisky sour.

"You remembered." He said, appreciating that something was going to take the edge off. Alya shook her head and pointed across the room.

"Marinette told me what to get, since I had to get her drink too." His eyes followed her arm across the room where he saw the back of Marinette, talking with Myléne. She was wearing black skinny jeans with black suede booties. Most of her back was exposed with the stylish, flowy three quarter sleeve shirt she wore. It was a perfect match for Chat Noir green. The lace design of her bralette took his breath away and his gaze trailed down to where the small of her back dipped beneath the top of her skinny jeans.

"You're staring, Agreste." Alya said smugly. He jumped and turned back to her, embarrassed.

"No, it was just…" He trailed off, noticing the look she gave him. Alya is one of the few people you couldn't pull anything over. How she hasn't realized their superhero identities he completely attributes to the magic of the suits. She winked and walked away, returning to Marinette and the rest of the group. Luka clapped his shoulder as he passed him on stage, heading to his spot to set up.

"Thanks for playing with us today. The group misses you." He said as he adjusted his guitar. Adrien smiled, his fingers practicing the melody mid air above the keys of the electric keyboard.

"Anytime. I missed this too. And I really appreciate you all helping me out with the extra song." Luka nodded.

"Your cover is great. I really like what you did with the arrangement. It wasn't too hard to practice with everyone this week. It's just too bad that we didn't get to practice with you beforehand."

"It's going to be great!" Rose said eagerly as the other three band members stepped onto the stage.

The bar started to fill up, a lot of familiar faces with drinks in their hand, word of Kitty Section being back in town spreading quickly. He was sure that the poster Marinette hung in the bakery had a lot to do with it. Their friends made sure to grab a spot close to the stage.

His eyes roamed over the front of Marinette's self-designed shirt. His eyes were glued to the mesh V from her neckline to her waist showing off her cleavage and her bralette. The tips of her straightened hair brushed over her shoulders and cascaded over her back as she shook her head in laughter, sipping more from her drink.

"Hello Paris!" Rose's energetic voice rang over the mic. The almost fully packed bar cheered. "We're so happy we could stop home before continuing on our world tour with Jagged! Thank you for being here with us!" The audience cheered again, the section with their friends being especially loud. It made Adrien smile.

"And since we're home, we have the extra addition to Kitty Section back for tonight, Adrien Agreste!" Luka's voice echoed into the mic. Adrien was taken aback as the crowd cheered even louder. Alya and Nino blew whistles with their fingers, and he caught eyes with Marinette as she giggled at them. She gave him a huge smile and winked. He was sure a blush would have been noticeable if the stage lights weren't already making him feel so warm. "Please, enjoy the show!"

They first played the band's classic "I Love Unicorns" to get the crowd rolling, and Adrien was thankful because it was the easiest song to get him back into sync with the band. It felt so good to play again for the fun of it, and not because he had a classical piano performance for his father.

They then played the most popular songs from their current album, which was the set list for when they opened on the tour. They added in a few songs at the end, some other popular honorable mentions, that they didn't have time to perform on tour.

He could feel the bass vibrate through his body, and he couldn't stop swinging his whole body into the music as his fingers danced over the keys. The rest of the band rocked in sync as well. His friends were dancing along the whole time, Alya and Marinette twirling around each other, being sexy and laughing. They ended in a big finish and the crowd went wild.

"Thank you, thank you. And for an encore, we're going to switch it up a little! We'll be playing a cover of a song that was arranged by Adrien!" Rose announced. Surprised to get another song, the crowd cheered, pumping their fists in the air. Glancing over to their group, Marinette, Alya and Nino were just as shocked as everybody, and when their eyes met, he gave Marinette a sultry wink. He caught her off guard and he saw the shyness spread across her face.

He rolled his shoulders and reset himself as the rest of the band did for the next song. Rose set up the mic stand in front of his keyboard, making sure it was the right height. The drumsticks clicked and Ivan set the beat with the drums. Adrien came in with the melody of the song with the keys, the guitars supporting. He could feel the Ladybugs flutter in his stomach as he raised his lips to the mic, knowing Marinette was watching him.

"You have my heart

And we'll never be worlds apart

May be in magazines

But you'll still be my star

Baby cause in the dark

You can't see shiny cars

And that's when you need me there

With you I'll always share

Because-"

Rose and Luka shared a mic and backed him up with the harmonies in the chorus. He closed his eyes, pouring his soul into the words he sang. He was too nervous to look at her.

"When the sun shines,

we'll shine together

Told you I'll be here forever

Said I'll always be a friend

Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end

Now that it's raining more than ever

Know that we'll still have each other

You can stand under my umbrella

You can stand under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)"

It was so easy to rock his body to the beat and he couldn't help but grin as he started the next verse.

"These fancy things,

will never come in between

You're part of my entity, here for Infinity

When the war has took its part

When the world has dealt its cards

If the hand is hard,

together we'll mend your heart

Because-"

He shook his sweaty locks away from his forehead as he belted out the chorus again, looking out to the crowd, seeing everyone sway to the song.

"When the sun shines, we'll shine together

Told you I'll be here forever

Said I'll always be a friend

Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end

Now that it's raining more than ever

Know that we'll still have each other

You can stand under my umbrella

You can stand under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)"

Just as he arranged it, the instruments faded off so he could sing alone with just the accompaniment of the keys.

"You can run into my arms

It's okay don't be alarmed

Come here to me

There's no distance in between our love

So go on and let the rain pour"

The drums and guitars came back in as the beat picked back up.

"I'll be all you need and more

Because!"

He finally steeled himself to look at her as he sang the last chorus. Because this was for her. He was singing this to her, hoping that her soul could feel it deep down. Because, he believed that in that special place she knew that he was her Chat Noir and she was his Ladybug.

As everyone rocked to the song around her, Marinette was still, as if she was holding her breath, blush on her cheeks, eyes wet with unshed tears.

"When the sun shines, we'll shine together

Told you I'll be here forever

Said I'll always be a friend

Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end

Now that it's raining more than ever

Know that we'll still have each other

You can stand under my umbrella

You can stand under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)"

It was like they were alone, he could feel no one else around them as he sang to her. He smiled, just for her.

It's raining

Ooh baby it's raining

come here to me

Come here to me _[x2]_

It's pourin' rain

It's pourin' rain

come here to me

come here to me _[x2]"_

The crowd exploded with cheers. Alya excitedly turned to Marinette and she smiled responding to whatever her best friend said, and he looked away. The rest of the band members were clapping along with the crowd and he was taken aback that everyone was cheering for _him._

"T-thank you everyone. This was very special for me to perform. Thank you to Kitty Section for giving me an amazing place and support to do so." He gave a half bow to the band and Luka gave him a thumbs up.

The band broke down the set easily and joined the rest of the group at a table across the bar.

"Dude! That was sick!" Nino fist bumped him when he was close enough. Alya nodded.

"Yeah Adrien, I wasn't expecting that at all from a classical boy." She laughed, obviously drunk. Marinette was noticeably drunk as well as she leaned on Myléne, a dazed smile on her face. He was handed a shot by Luka, who dispersed one to everyone in the group off of a tray.

"Great job everyone!" Luka held up his own shot and everyone mirrored him. The group took the shot in unison. Adrien's face scrunched up as the liquid burned down his throat and into his stomach. Tequila.

The group hung out for a while, having a few drinks. Some fans came up to the band for autographs, including Adrien's. He was surprised that only a few fans held modeling pictures for him to sign- most had something of the band's for the autographs. With all the commotion going on, he really didn't get a chance to spend time with Marinette so he could get a feel on how she felt about the song.

He was definitely starting to feel the liquor hit him. He randomly checked his phone for the time. Shit. He still had to do patrol.

"Ah-guys, I have to go-" He started, nervous about the chance of fighting an akuma buzzed.

"What, why?" Alya whined, hanging on to Nino. Marinette looked sad.

"Well...my dad was a pain about me doing this, and I promised I'd be home by a certain time because I have an extra shoot in the morning." He quickly rambled. Alya didn't look like she was buying it, but was distracted by everyone else saying their goodbyes to him. Phew. He wondered how Marinette ever got away from her to transform into Ladybug.

He was left with saying goodbye to Marinette last. They shyly shared a hug. He could tell she was affected by the song, and there was something left unaddressed between them.

"I'll...see you Monday?" She asked. He smiled softly.

"Mm. I'll see you soon." Sooner than she knew.

He stumbled in the alley next to the bar and caught his balance against the wall. Plagg flew out of his shirt pocket.

"Finally. Now I get to never hear that song again." Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Was it that bad?" He asked, the confidence weak in his voice. Plagg gazed down, still trying to look cool.

"It was fine, I just don't like hearing it a million times. Tikki loved it. It was nice watching you from above the stage and not being stuck in your shirt under those hot lights. Adrien smiled when he heard Tikki's reaction. He hoped Marinette loved it too.

"Alright, let's get this over with so we can go home. Claws out!" He was a little numb from the alcohol so he didn't feel his transformation like he usually did, but he definitely felt his head clear a bit when he was fully transformed. He jumped to the rooftops. It wasn't fully gone, but he was relieved he would be able to function if there was an actual attack.

Turns out there wasn't, and he was happy he could relax for the rest of the night, rounding back to the bar area to see if anyone was still there.

The group was actually outside, saying their goodbyes. Everyone went their separate ways. Marinette walked away with Luka, his arm around her shoulders as she leaned against him. Luka checked over his shoulder to see if anyone was around. Chat squinted. He started to follow them.

"That was great! Wow, I haven't had this much fun since Adrien's birthday." Marinette commented, stumbling as she walked. Luka put his arm around her waist, holding her steady as they continued to walk. She giggled at her clumsiness.

"You should get out and enjoy life more. We could go out tomorrow night too if you want." She smiled but shook her head.

"Thanks, but I blew all my extra money on tonight. I probably drank a little too much." She giggled again. Luka stopped them to sit on a bench and shook his head, smirking. Chat took cover in a bush nearby where he could still see what was going on.

"If I'm taking you out Marinette, I'm not going to make you pay, silly." His arm rested behind her on the back of the bench, facing her. Chat's hand gripped into a fist. Luka was way too close to his Lady for his liking.

Marinette blushed at the closeness, starting to realize what he was getting at.

"L-like a date?" She squeaked. Luka turned up the charm and leaned closer.

"Mmhmm. When was the last time you went on a date, Marinette? You can't wait forever, you know." He closed the distance between them and kissed the edge of her jaw by her ear, not exactly on her cheek and not exactly on her neck. She was shocked, her hands pressed against his chest. Chat growled. His mind started racing.

 _What_ was he going to do? Should he jump in there as Chat and expose their relationship to Luka? To Viperion? No, maybe he should de-transform and take her away as Adrien? But, he can't show how possessive he is of her as Adrien.

Before he could decide, Marinette shyly pushed her hands against Luka's chest, making him sit back up.

"Luka-I'm flattered, really. B-but there's someone else." Chat breathed a sigh of relief. Luka leaned back with a guilty look.

"I'm sorry, Marinette. I didn't realize you and Adrien got together. Neither of you mentioned it and I didn't see you super close so I had no idea. It's about time though." Luka sat on the bench regularly, gazing off into the distance, recalling the events of the day and trying to figure out where he missed the signs.

"W-well, actually it's-" Marinette awkwardly started.

"He acts differently around you now." Luka stated, pensively. She was taken aback. She blinked a few times, trying to process.

"Adrien...acts differently around me...from when you left?" Luka nodded, looking over to her curiously.

"You haven't noticed?" It took Chat off guard too. Was it that noticeable? He stumbled and made the bush rustle a bit. Shit. Marinette's and Luka's heads picked up at the noise. Luka was clueless to what made the sound but Marinette's face was shocked, staring at the bush. Tears started to well up in her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry Luka. I h-have to go." She stumbled and ran off. Luka stood up and started to run after her.

"Wait Marinette! Let me at least make sure you get home safe!" He shouted after her. Chat jumped into his path.

"Hey Viperion." He tried to sound casual, but there was a slight hardness to his voice.

"Chat, hey. I hope you've been good, but I can't really talk. My friend over there is drunk and I need to make sure she gets home safe." Luka walked past him, concern lacing his features. Chat stopped him by gripping his shoulder. Luka turned back to him.

"She looks upset. Maybe you should let her be for now." Chat said as evenly as possible. "I'll watch her until she gets home. You should go home and rest. I'm sure Ladybug will want to see you before you leave again. Meet us for patrol tomorrow night." Chat vaulted to the rooftops with his baton before Luka could respond to him. The musician looked around lost, Marinette nowhere in his sight.

Chat caught up to Marinette easily. She was only a few blocks over, trying to walk as quickly as she could, using the buildings to keep herself upright.

"Princess, you're going to trip if you keep up like that." He said softly from behind her and she gasped, turning. Tears were streaming down her face.

"You _were_ there. You saw what _happened_." Marinette said, voice drenched with guilt and tears. Chat nodded. "I'm so sorry Chat, nothing actually happened, I didn't want him to kiss me, I-I tried to tell him, and now he thinks I'm with Adrien. I swear to you, I'm not with anyone b-but you I-" She completely broke down then, arms circling around herself as she hunched over and cried. He pulled her into his arms and she clung to him.

"Don't worry m'Lady," he whispered. "I saw everything. I saw you push him away. I know you're not with Adrien either. Please, stop crying." She was trying her best to calm down, but she was too worked up from everything. He scooped her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way home over the rooftops.

The wind blowing across their faces seemed to calm them both down a bit and when they landed on her bed, she wouldn't let go of him. He laid down with her on his chest, making sure she wasn't looking.

"Claws in." He felt the haze from drinking come back as the transformation dropped, and he was glad they were safe. She started to pick her head up and he put his hand over her eyes.

"Not yet, I didn't tie the mask on yet." He said quickly. Her delicate hands went over his, starting to gently pull them away.

"Fuck the rules." She whispered, voice still weak from crying. He felt his resolve weaken. He didn't let her move his hand.

"You're saying that because you're drunk. I'm not supposed to be wearing the spots in this relationship, remember?" He said and she giggled. She put her hands over her eyes and he quickly grabbed the mask from her shelf and tied it on before either of them changed their minds.

"That was close m'Lady. Don't tempt me like that." He said huskily. She kissed him and he kissed her back, hungrily.

"Whisky." She said lightly as he kissed down her neck. He nipped her before sucking down on her smooth skin and she moaned, threading her fingers through his hair. She readjusted herself to sit better on his lap. He kept his head low against her, trying to distract her as much as he could. It was too late that he realized…

...he's wearing the same clothes as he did on stage.

He did the first thing he could think of and pulled his shirt over his head, letting it drop to the floor. She stared at his chest for a moment, blush evident on her cheeks, and he gave her a sultry smile.

"That's a lovely shade of green you're wearing." He complimented. She smirked and twisted in his lap, giving him a look at her back. He sucked in a breath at the pressure she put against his dick.

"You like it? I made it myself." She said flirtatiously. His eyes roamed over her back as she showed it to him, the black lace of her bralette contrasting against her moon bleached skin.

"I love it." He said huskily as he turned her back in his lap and kissed her as his arms wound around her torso. His hands roamed over her back and dipped beneath the shirt, feeling as much skin as he could. She hummed at the sensation and kissed him back, her hands roaming over his chest in return. He felt the heat flare wherever their skin touched. He wanted more.

He grabbed her shirt by the bottom hem and she raised her arms willingly. He gently pulled the shirt off and over her head, letting it fall to the other side of the bed. He felt his dick twitch in his pants as he took in the sight of her gazing down at him, the lustful look she had beneath those full lashes. He let his hands run up her hips then her smooth stomach, until they reached her bralette. His fingers felt the lace gently and then cupped her breasts through the fabric and squeezed. A soft moan escaped her lips as her head fell back, arching her chest against his hands. She ground down against him and he groaned.

She leaned forward and kissed him, allowing her newly exposed skin to press against his chest and his hands squeezed her ass in appreciation. He felt so warm with her there. And suddenly, the warmth was gone.

He was about to complain as he saw her stand next to the bed with her back to him. She started slowly pushing her skinny jeans down over her hips, bending over to take them the rest of the way off and he felt a breath leave him. The matching black lace panties almost did him in right then.

She got back on top of him and kissed down his neck as she started unbuckling his belt. He groaned.

"M-marinette," She bit down on his neck and sucked the same spot. He wasn't going to be able to stop. "Princess wait." He said gently. She didn't stop, and unbuttoned his pants.

"Hm?" She asked as she started to kiss and nip over his collarbone.

"You're making this so _hard_ to not give in, you know?" He said, letting the tortured sound be unconcealed in his voice. She licked over his chest now, moving lower.

" _Please."_ He begged. "We're both drunk, I didn't bring protection. I…" She paused then, looking up to him for him to continue.

"I don't want to be wearing this mask for our first time." He said gently. She smiled softly and crawled back up his body, kissing him lovingly.

"Yes, that would be nice." She agreed.

He shifted them so he could pull the blanket over them, and kicked off his pants. She laid on her side and pressed her back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. He was so warm, so comfortable, so tired…"

"I love you." She whispered, drifting off.

"I love you too, m'Lady."


	14. Chapter 14

Hello all! I'm backkkkk! I'm so sorry for not informing that I was even leaving, I didn't know myself. As with everyone, life always gets in the way, and is so hectic with the holiday season (getting gifts and I also took a seasonal job). But as well, I definitely had a slump of depression and non motivation. Which honestly is crazy, because I know where the story is going, so it's not like I don't know what I need to write (I know the pain plot points but the details aren't ironed out until I actually write) but just actually getting my self to just start writing was really hard. I also think my schedule was a main contributor, because I just didn't have a few hour time block where I could write and get into a good state of flow. So when I had a few minutes here and there I'd chip away at it, but it's such a slow grind.

So because of that, I must say a huge thank you to who noticed my absence and reached out to check if everything is okay, or reviewed saying they love the story. That really helped. I love the community we're a part of, where we can support each other.

Oh, and if you tried to review chapter 13 and the site wouldn't let you, I found out that since I deleted the chapter where I announced a short hiatus (chapter 8) all the chapters got pushed up in number, so if you had already left a review on the previous chapter 13(which was chapter 12 before I deleted and posted the real chapter13) you woudn't be allowed to leave a new review for the new chapter 13. If you want to share your thoughts on that chapter, I'd love to hear them! Shoot me a PM!

Please enjoy the chapter, let me know what you think, and be on the look out for a surprise soon:)

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It's been awkward, to say the least.

He sighed as his cheek rested on his hand, his elbow against the armrest of the train seat, holding him up. Grassy lands sped by quickly through the window, the midday sun bright.

He smirked as he heard Marinette make a sound between a deep breath and a snore just to his left, but he didn't bother to turn. She had finally fallen asleep though the tension between them, and he felt like he could relax.

The time spent with her as Chat was great. He loved her so much, and he felt so free to be himself with her in those moments. But it definitely stung how distant Marinette was trying to be with him while he was Adrien. He understood. She felt like she had something to prove to Chat, possibly to herself, that they weren't as close as everyone perceives them to be.

It's been really hard not to hold her hand.

Just then, her head softly landed against his shoulder, her arm bumping against his. A smile ghosted his lips as he readjusted to support her weight, and leaned his cheek against the top of her head. The backs of their hands were touching on top of his thigh, and he couldn't help but thread his fingers through hers. She didn't wake, being the heavy sleeper she is, but he could feel her hand grip his back lightly. He snuggled his cheek against her.

The first time he saw her after the concert was when Ladybug and Chat Noir met up with Luka, who took a patrol run with them as Viperion the following night. Much to Luka's confusion, Ladybug regarded him tensely; and even though Chat wasn't too happy with the musician himself, he tried to lessen the tension by being friendly.

The following day was a movie adventure with the whole group before the band left France. Marinette did her best to stay away from both boys as much as possible, choosing to stick around Alya and the girls. She wore her baseball tee with the Chat Noir green stripes proudly, and Adrien noticed her check around occasionally, surely to see if Chat was around. Little did she know, he never took his eyes off her.

Luka had tried to bring up his mistake and apologize for it with Adrien a few times, but Adrien would distract the conversation before Luka could ever finish. It was better Luka did not know that he wasn't actually dating Marinette, because more questions would be asked.

He felt his eyelids grow heavy. It was just a bit over four hours for them to get to Vanoise National Park for their fashion class trip. They were about halfway, but their fight with an akuma into the early hours of the morning was starting to get to him. It had already claimed Marinette into dreamland. It was just so easy to not open his eyes again once he closed them.

The first thing that disturbed him was the noise of everyone shuffling around the train, gathering their stuff to get off. Still nearing consciousness, he refused to open his tired eyes until he absolutely had to, feeling warm and comfortable. He then felt Marinette shift underneath him, her hand tensing within his own when she realized where it was. He heard a soft gasp leave her lips.

She very carefully detangled herself from him, and he allowed himself to wake when her head finally moved from under his cheek. He yawned and looked over to her, pretending to be oblivious to the last few minutes.

"Are we here?" He asked groggily as he stretched. A deep red dusted her cheeks.

"Um, yeah. We're here." She awkwardly replied as she grabbed her backpack from under her seat. He did the same and they shuffled off the train with the rest of their classmates. Professor Chatel ushered them into cabs in their pairs for their forty minute trip to the park. He could feel the tension start to creep back up around them. He wished it didn't have to be like this, but he allowed it to happen and sat in silence. They were about to spend the whole day together.

"Alright class, we've finally made it to Vanoise National Park. Your assignment for the contest is to design a cohesive, two piece collection inspired by the natural beauty of the park. You're free to go anywhere in the park for inspiration, but please be aware of the following. The park is actually part of a larger project that extends into Italy, as Grand Paradiso National Park. I doubt you'll make it that far across the park but please still be aware. There's also a good amount of wildlife, such as resident wolves, lynx and birds so please be careful. We'll meet back here around six to get dinner as a class and then head back home. I expect great things from all of you. And remember, this is your chance to give me a preview of how cohesive your final collection will be. Good luck."

The class dispersed in all different directions in their pairs. Adrien and Marinette walked in silence for a while. He wanted to say something, anything, but he wasn't sure what the right thing would be.

"Is there anything that has inspired you?" She asked quietly after a few minutes. He looked around. There were beautiful colors everywhere from the autumnal trees, to the lush grass to the overcast grey sky, but nothing in particular caught his eye. He was far too concentrated on her, and how they could get back to a place of normalcy.

"Not really, no." He replied, their shoulders bumping as they walked. She moved a bit, creating more distance between them so it wouldn't happen again. He frowned.

"We should go as far as possible before we start sketching." She commented, looking around for their other classmates. "That way we definitely have something different from the rest of the class." She looked over to him for his opinion, and he could see the small spark of inspiration starting to grow in her eyes. He gave her a small smile.

"That's a great idea, Marinette. Which direction do you want to go?" She lead them for a while, turning here and there whenever something inspired her, and it created a steady pace between the two of them. It reminded him of patrol, their footsteps in sync as they ran across rooftops; a calm, understanding silence between them.

After a long while, they came upon a small river through a clearing of trees. They stopped before it and looked to each other for approval. They both smiled, nodding together, and sat down beside the river. The two of them started sketching back to back. No words were needed.

He allowed all of his senses to be open as he sketched. The calm, cool breeze on his face, brushing over his light jacket. The overcast sky giving just the right amount of light to everything around him, the most minimal of shadows being cast. The trickling sound of the river as it passed by them and over rocks, the fresh smell of the water mixing with the cool air. The feeling of her sketching at his back, muffled by their jackets, but still there nonetheless.

He lazily moved his other hand as he sketched and gently dipped his fingers into the river, feeling the ribbons of cold water move through his fingers, pushing his hand down the river. He allowed it to, letting the flowing feeling translate into his sketch. His hand bumped into another, warm in the cool river, and he held it, without thinking.

Both himself and Marinette tensed, letting go quickly and pulling their hands out of the river. He rubbed his hand against his jeans to dry it off, and cleared his throat.

"How's your sketch going?" He asked. She leaned back against him, stretching her back like she always did.

"Well. How's yours?" She asked quietly. He gazed down at the straight silk gown, the intricate design of different sized rhinestones and beads trickling down in a diagonal direction across the dress, small pieces of fabric flowing through them, reminding him of the river flowing over the rocks.

"I like it." He proudly stated. "Just not sure if it will go well with yours." She hummed.

"We'll compare in a few minutes. There's just something I want to fix first." She went back to sketching and he cleaned up his lines of his sketch. He finished before her and calmly waited. He comfortably laid his head back against her shoulder and she let him, just like they used to while they sketched. It was nice to pretend they weren't in such a mess, like how it used to be before he knew she was Ladybug. He wouldn't trade the knowledge for the world, but it did get taxing.

"Okay. Let's compare." She said turning. They traded sketchbooks as they sat side to side, facing the river.

He was surprised. They both had a similar idea with representing the river, but her design trickled down into a pair of flowy pants. He still wasn't sure about the synergy though.

"Do you think they're cohesive enough?" He asked uneasily. She hummed looking over both sketches.

"I really like how both of our inspirations of the river came through. I think if you made your skirt a little more flowing, then the movement would show well as both pieces walked down the runway. If you pick the right fabric you'll be able to keep the silhouette you were going for as well." He smiled at her softly.

"You really are amazing, Marinette." She blushed and waved him off, embarrassed.

"It's really nothi-EEP!" She squeaked as a crack of thunder rang loudly through the open sky. They both gazed up into the clouds and were suddenly assaulted with droplets of water coming down at an alarming pace.

They both scrambled to put away their sketchbooks and materials, the water already dripping across the sketches. Adrien pulled out his umbrella from the bottom of his bag and they huddled close together as they started running through the droplets.

"Which way did we even come from?!" She shouted over another crack of thunder, the sky lighting up for just a second. He held her closer to him under the umbrella, the water still pouring down their backs when they moved the wrong way. He looked around, nothing seeming familiar.

"I don't know anymore! Let's just keep going!" He shouted back. The rain was coming down so hard it was ricocheting off of everything and creating a mist that was getting more and more difficult to see through. The tips of his fingers were already numb from the ice cold water, and he could feel his shoes starting to get soaked.

"Over there!" She pointed to something in the distance. It was hard to make out, but as they got closer it looked like a small cabin. They made their way to it, the rain unrelenting. With just a little left to go, a big gust of wind flipped the umbrella inside out, and it was ripped from Adrien's grip. Whatever parts of their clothes managed to stay dry by that point were drenched as they bolted the last of the distance to the cabin. With a little bit of force the door opened, and they dashed inside. Adrien shut the door against the gusting wind as they tried to catch their breath.

"That...was crazy." Marinette said in between breaths as she dropped her backpack off of her shoulders. Adrien fished his phone out of his now skintight jeans and groaned.

"Of course no service. Why would there be?" She peered into her purse for a little longer than necessary and then grabbed hers. He bet Tikki was inside. "Anything?" He asked.

"No, mine's dead." She said defeatedly.

"Do you think it's from the water?" He asked coming over to her to look over the phone himself, his hands grazing hers as he took it. They were ice cold.

"N-no. I didn't have much battery to begin with, I forgot to charge it last night." She started wringing out her hair. He smirked. Typical Marinette. He glanced around the room.

It was more of a shed than a cabin, and he noticed some landscaping tools. It definitely looked like it'd been around for quite a few years. He peered out the dusty window. The rain was still coming down hard, the wind noticeably blowing the water on the ground in waves.

"Well, looks like we're going to have to stay here until it lets up." He said, taking off his jacket and hanging it on a shovel handle. His grey shirt was plastered to his chest. He felt water drip off his bangs and pushed them back, but they fell right back into his face. He looked over to her when she didn't respond. She was looking out of the other window, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. He felt it start to come up again, the tension.

"Marinette?" He gently asked. He wanted to scoop her into his arms, but he knew he couldn't. He shivered. He felt goosebumps all over. He could tell she was cold too, the arms she tightly wound around herself doing little to stop her shivering. She looked over to him. She had been lost in thought.

"What? Sorry. What'd you say?" He sat down against the wall, the window above him.

"I said, we're going to have to be here a while until the rain lets up." She nodded, her mind noticeably elsewhere. She slid down her wall opposite him. They awkwardly stared at each other for a minute. A sudden gust of wind blew against the shed and they both jumped at the noise.

"I wonder how the others are." She said softly. He nodded.

"I hope they got somewhere safe. As soon as we get reception we have to contact Professor Chatel." He responded as he looked over to his useless phone, sadly. It was quiet again for a few minutes. He shifted his legs to a new position, trying to fight of the numbness trying to overtake them. His feet bumped against hers, only a little space between them in the small shed.

"...How did you like the concert?" He asked hesitantly. She perked up a bit and smiled.

"It was a lot of fun. You...you did great too, at the end." She added on shyly, fighting a shiver across her body.

"Thanks. Performing that song...was really important to me." He replied honestly, looking down at his shoes as he recalled that night.

"It was beautiful, Adrien. I'm thankful that I was there to hear it." She said earnestly. He looked up to her, a bit surprised from her warm statement. Her smile was soft and loving, and he felt like he finally saw the real her for the first time today, unguarded. Their eyes stayed locked, happy and comfortable. He was entranced by her beautiful bluebell eyes. The ones that were so compassionate and creative as Marinette; but also strong, calculating and protective as Ladybug.

Without thinking he shifted to his hands and knees, slowly crawling into her space, his eyes never leaving hers. She was noticeably nervous as he came closer to her, but she was unable to look away. His lips were just about to be touching hers, and he could feel her warm breath against his cool face as she whispered.

"Adrien...what...are you doing?" She asked softly, distracted from him being in her personal space, sounding unsure about what she should do. He shifted and plopped down next to her instead, leaving no space in between them as his side pressed against hers.

"It's- it's too cold to not stay close." He cleared his throat commenting as he tried to brush off what just happened. She looked hesitant to accept at first, but pressed closer against him as a large shiver wracked her body. She laid her head on his shoulder and he pressed his cheek against her icy, cold locks.

They were quiet as they tried to warm back up, cuddling close. He was starting to get sleepy, the coldness combined with his lack of energy today. He concentrated on the bit of warmth in the places where they were touching, and couldn't fight the heaviness of his eyelids…

He was semi conscious the whole time, unable to open his eyes but aware of the constant rain and wind against the shed. It happened a few times before he realized Plagg was nipping at his nose and cheeks, whispering repeatedly for him to wake up. His eyes cracked open in the now dark space, and he was barely able to make out his Kwami's silhouette with the limited moonlight cracking through the rainclouds and spilling into the small space through the window.

"Oh good, Tikki he's awake!" Plagg whispered in front of his face. "You should get going kid. Rain's letting up some." Another Kwami's silhouette flew into his vision.

"I can't wake her up! Adrien please!" Tikki's panicked voice wasn't bothering to stay quiet anymore.

"Wha-? What do you mean?" Adrien asked confused as he tried to become more conscious. He shifted to get a better look at Marinette, holding on to her shoulders. She was asleep, but it was hard to see much of her now that it was dark outside. He brushed his hand across her cheek as he spoke to her and his heart dropped when he felt it was ice cold.

"Marinette?... Come on, wake up." He started to feel down her neck, and pressed his fingers just under her jaw. He felt the panic start to bubble within his stomach as Tikki's voice rang in his ears.

"What's happening? Is she okay? Is she breathing?" He heard Plagg shush her from behind him.

"Tikki, breathe. I'm sure she's okay." The usually snippy Kwami said empathically. Adrien released the breath he didn't know he was holding when he felt a pulse and watched her exhale against him.

"Tikki. She's breathing. But she's very cold. I'm very cold too. Can you transform her?" He turned to the Kwamies who were huddled together.

"No." Tikki said dejectedly. "We can't transform without the verbal command from our holders." A memory flashed in Adrien's mind when Silencer took away Ladybug's voice and she couldn't call out her Lucky Charm or her Miraculous Ladybug.

"Alright. Then we have to start moving." Adrien felt pins and needles spread down his legs as he strode across the room grabbing his phone and his jacket. He slug both backpacks over his shoulder.

"Plagg, claws out!" He instantly felt better once he transformed, the suit drying him for the time being. He wished it could be so simple to warm her up as well. He scooped her up into his arms, and stepped out into the cool night, Tikki floating by his side. Her worried expression was now visible with the help of his night vision.

"Hold on m'Lady."


	15. Chapter 15

Hello all! Surprise! Two uploads this month! I just wanted to do something special for you all for being here with me still! This inspiration is turning into three chapters instead of one :) I really wanted to upload on Valentine's day, but I got called in to work doubles the last two days:( But it's still here and I hope you enjoy it! I hope you all had a nice day on Valentine's, weather it was with a loved one, or you got to have a day to yourself to love yourself. Please let me know what you think! I can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Enjoy!

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Chat Noir jumped onto the roof of the shed as carefully as he could to make sure he didn't jostle Marinette in his arms. He concentrated for a moment and finally decided which way to go, seeing some artificial light polluting the sky from buildings in town.

So many thoughts wracked his mind. What should he do? Bringing her anywhere for help as Chat would raise so many questions- why was Chat so far from Paris? Where was Ladybug? He looked down to her unconscious form. They would probably question if the girl unconscious in his arms was Ladybug detransformed after a fight. His gaze hardened. That can't happen. He'll have to take care of this as himself. They were last seen together by the class anyways.

It took a few more minutes than he would have liked to get to the edge of town, but he was concerned for Marinette's safety. Using his baton to vault onto the rooftops, he quickly found a hotel and jumped down into the alley, allowing his transformation to drop. He felt the chill from his soaked form instantly wash over his body.

Tikki helped an exhausted Plagg into one of their backpacks behind him, and he walked out of the alley and straight to the hotel doors. The doorman jumped to his aid as he held the door open. Adrien felt the warm air hit his face as soon as he walked into the doorway.

"Sir, are you alright? Is the miss okay?" Adrien nodded.

"We just got caught out in the rain, she's very tired." The doorman followed him into the lobby and led him to a couch near the reception desk to lay Marinette down. Adrien wasn't sure what time it was, but he was thankful that the lobby was deserted, save for the staff.

"Um, hello. Mister Agreste. How can I help you?" The receptionist was nervous as he spoke, unsure of how to address a celebrity or the situation. He looked down to Marinette concerned, obviously already hearing Adrien's conversation with the doorman.

"Do you have any suites available?" Adrien softly commented as he brushed Marinette's bangs out of her face. Her lips had taken on a darker shade than usual from how cold she was.

"Yes sir, of course. We'll take care of the paperwork so you can take your girlfriend up right away. Is there anything else I can get you?" Adrien coughed nervously.

"Ah, n-no she's not my girlfriend, just a classmate. I'll need a second suite for myself, next to hers if possible." Last thing he needed was the press to get air that he was here, with a love interest.

"Ah, I'm sorry Mister Agreste, my mistake." Adrien shook his head.

"It's fine, really. Is there anyway you can send some clothes up to our rooms?" He asked glancing to the gift shop as he scooped her back up into his arms.

"Y-yes, that shouldn't be a problem. Room service is also available. Douglas can lead you to your rooms." After picking up the backpacks and receiving the keycard from the other receptionist, the doorman started to walk down one of the halls and Adrien moved to follow. After readjusting Marinette, Adrien looked at the receptionists for the first time.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. If you could just send up whatever from room service that would be great. We haven't eaten all day. I can come back down to settle payment once she's taken care of."

"Don't worry about that right now. We can settle all of that in the morning." Adrien gave them a small, exhausted smile.

"Thanks. If there's any way we can keep quiet about us being here, that'd be great." He moved to follow Douglas who was holding the elevator open for them.

"Of course, Mister Agreste."

The room was warm when they entered, Douglas holding the door open for him after using the keycard. Adrien laid Marinette down on the couch in the lounge area and turned to Douglas setting the backpacks down by the door, the keycard placed on the table on the other side of the frame.

"Everything that you need should be here. There's a door connecting to your suite right here. I can go open it for you from the other room." He motioned to the door on the adjacent wall. It was the first time Adrien got a decent look at the middle aged man, hair just starting to grey in some places, and crinkles at the corners of his eyes from smiling too much. Adrien ran his fingers through his damp hair.

"Yes, if you could that would be great. Can you also instruct the room service and clothes to be delivered to that room instead of this one?" Douglas nodded.

"Of course, that shouldn't be a problem at all." Douglas left the suite, returning from the connecting door. He then quickly took his leave, letting Adrien know the key card to the other room was on the dresser in the other suite. Adrien thanked him greatly as he left. As he looked over Marinette, he made a mental note to leave a tip for Douglas when he paid for the room later. He struggled to pull her jacket off, hanging it over the back of a chair before returning to her.

Tikki and Plagg flew out of the backpack as soon as the coast was clear.

"Is she okay?" Tikki worriedly asked, Plagg quiet next to her. Adrien's fingers gently ran across her cheek, which was still cool to the touch.

"Yes, we just have to start getting her warmed up." Adrien replied. He stood and peered around the suite. The bedroom was a large square room in the middle of the suite, having two sets of double doors on each wall opening into the living area wrapped around it.

There was a table, chairs, and two couches in the lounge area. There was a flat screen in the lounge space, and one in the bedroom. The table and chairs fit perfectly into the space next to the double doors off of the bedroom, the opposite wall also having another set of doors leading to a balcony. He walked through the area next to the front door, finding two doors next to the now open connecting door. One was a normal sized hotel bathroom with just a toilet and set of double sinks. The other door opened to a very large bathroom that was mostly filled with a large spa bathtub. There was a floor to ceiling glass shower tucked away in the corner, a second toilet against the same wall, and a small sink tucked in the other corner.

He quickly walked over to the tub, turning the tap on to fill it. He checked that there were towels easily accessible and dipped his fingers into the water as it started to rise. He felt pins and needles run through his cold fingers and up his arm. If this is what he felt like, he couldn't imagine putting Marinette straight into the water.

When he came back to the couches, he found Plagg sitting on Marinette's stomach, as Tikki was curled up underneath her chin, still visibly distraught that her holder was unconscious.

"I think the bath is too much for her at once. We'll have to first warm her slowly in the shower." Adrien commented as he fetched their phones out of their bags, along with his charger. Marinette didn't pack one, of course. He plugged her phone in and as he waited for it to start back up, using the little battery left on his to let people know they were okay.

He sent a quick text to Natalie, letting her know the situation and that he wouldn't be home until tomorrow. He then found an email from Chatel, stating to the class as a whole where they were to meet so they could find a place to stay for the night. The message was from hours ago, the time now approaching midnight. He composed a quick reply letting her know where they took cover had no reception, but were now safe in the hotel, and to let them know where to meet the class tomorrow. As soon as Marinette's phone was back up he shot a quick text to Sabine as Marinette, filling her in on the situation as well.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he set the phones down, happy he wouldn't need to bother with them much for the time being. Turning back to the three on the couch, he caught eyes with Plagg.

"Did you eat the granola bar in my backpack? I have a feeling she'd prefer to have Chat in this situation." Adrien scooped her into his arms as he finished asking. Plagg rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but it sucked. The room service better have some good cheese when it gets here." Adrien nodded.

"Claws out." He instantly felt better again as his temperature was regulated. He glanced over to Tikki as he pulled off Marinette's shoes. "Just wait out here okay? I'll send Plagg back as soon as I can. Just watch something in the meantime." She nodded and pressed her full weight onto the remote and the flat screen turned on.

"Okay Bugaboo. Let's get you warmed up." He said as he walked them into the bathroom, shutting the door behind them. He stepped into the shower a bit awkwardly given how he was holding her. He held her to the corner of the enclosure, letting the water first hit his back. He tipped his face back into the spray to check the temperature before exposing her to it. He made sure the water was luke warm before bringing them both under.

It was slow, but he felt the water warm his face. He kept the water from going up her nose as he made sure she was getting most of the spray. After a few minutes he turned the tap a little warmer. He waited patiently, knowing that his body would warm faster than hers even if he wasn't wearing the suit, and ignored the warmth he craved each time he adjusted to the current temperature.

When they finally started getting into what could be considered hot for the shower, he pressed his forehead against hers, which still felt cooler than his, but much better than before.

"Marinette, Princess, wake up." He requested a few times, the panic once again starting to bubble in his stomach. Maybe this wasn't the way to do this. Would they have to find a hospital? How was he supposed to explain this to anyone?

"Wha?" Marinette's disoriented mumble came across her lips and he felt her start to push against his chest with her hands.

"It's okay m'lady, I'm here." Chat quickly reassured her, her eyes starting to focus.

"Chat?...Where? What happened? Why...are we in here? ...I feel awful." She looked around the large bathroom through the shower's glass, confused.

"It's...a long story." Chat said exhaustedly. He was so relieved she was awake. He gently put her down so she could stand. She stayed pressed against him in the shower, still too weak to stand on her own. Her clothes were plastered to her body, now soaked again. "You and your friend were caught in the rain-" She gasped.

"Adrien!" She moved in his arms, looking to leave the shower. He held her in place, just as she was about to slip on the tiled floor from the running water.

"He-He's not here. He um...left? To get some fresh clothes from the giftshop I assume." Chat quickly added. She leaned her head out of the spray and looked up to him confused.

"How are you here Chat? Did you follow me on my school trip?" She asked. He cleared his throat.

"It's better that I don't tell you why I was in the area. But I saw pretty boy carry you into the hotel, and it didn't look like you were conscious. Thought I'd help out warming you up before he came back." She gave him a look that said 'we're not supposed to leave Paris unattended'. He couldn't help leaning down and kissing her forehead, still recovering from the panic he had over her. She stood on her tip toes and kissed his lips. They still felt cold to him. He pressed his forehead against hers.

"You should get out of these clothes. I drew a bath for you to finish warming up in. Can you stand?" He shifted to allow her to stand on her own, but she clung to him once she was standing.

"Stay? Please?" She asked as she pressed her head to his chest, the water running over them in streams. He gently grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head as she raised her arms, careful not to rip it with his claws. It dropped to the shower floor with a wet plop. He could see her hard nipples through the fabric of her light pink bra. She cuddled against his chest as he rubbed up and down her back, planning how he could unhook her bra with the claws in the way. He fumbled for a moment, growling in frustration. She mumbled, not moving away from his chest.

"Drop it, I'll keep my eyes closed." He bit his lip, knowing how hard that was going to be. They didn't have the mask here. There would be nothing to protect them if there was a mistake.

"Claws in." Plagg zipped away, materializing through the shower's glass and the bathroom wall, sputtering from the shower's spray. They both had a small amused smile, but keeping her eyes closed, she couldn't see his. He cringed as the water ran over his cool skin, making it feel like he was on fire. He was thankful that he didn't do the same to Marinette in her unconscious state. Shocking her body like that could have been dangerous.

She laid her head back on his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Ah! You're wet and cold too." She commented, shivering. He rubbed his hands along her back, warming them with the spray of the shower.

"Yeah, I got caught in the rain too before I transformed." His fingers unhooked her bra, slipping the straps off of her shoulders slowly. Still trying to give her some kind of privacy, he hid his head against the crook of her neck, kissing and licking the smooth skin as he pressed her against the tiled wall. She let the bra slide down her arms and drop to the floor with another wet plop.

She whimpered in his arms from the sensation of him working on her neck and her nipples against his cold shirt. Her fingers skimmed the hem, pulling the wet material up his chest as her smooth palms rubbed against his skin in its wake. When the shirt was over his chest and he started to raise his arms, she pressed her breasts against him, and they both sighed at the sensation. He helped her and pulled his shirt the rest of the way off and threw it to the ground.

They held each other for a moment. This was the most bare skin contact that they've ever had. The warm water washed over them as they breathed.

He grew more bold as the minutes passed and kissed her, his hand threading through her hair as it tilted back into the cascading water. He trailed kisses down her neck and over her collarbone, stopping before he reached her chest. Avoiding the spray he looked up to her, and could see the blush forming on her cheeks as she turned her head away, trying her best not to look. He gave a gentle kiss to her skin just before her breast and she sighed, trying to relax.

It was the first time he saw her chest fully exposed, and she was so beautiful. He kissed one of her nipples and she bit her lip in anticipation, but released it into a moan as he gave it a nip and lick. Her hands went to his shoulders as he knelt in front of her, taking his time showing how much he loved her, finding just what she liked. As he pinched her nipple he trailed kisses down her toned stomach to the top of her jeans.

Her hands threaded into his hair as he unbuttoned them, hooked his fingers under the band at her hips and started to shimmy them over her ass and down her thighs. She used his shoulders for leverage and tried to help him, but it took a minute since they were soaked and tight against her skin. After she stepped out of them he ran his hands up her legs, over her smooth calves, toned from nightly patrols, over her thighs, and squeezed her ass that now only had a pair of soaked, pink lace panties covering them. Her hands gently gripped his hair in response and he couldn't help but growl at how aroused it made him.

He stood and kissed her deeply, holding her against him and she sighed against his lips. Her hands roamed all over him as they kissed, over his arms, across his chest, and when she reached his jeans she didn't hesitate to unbutton them. They had just as much of a struggle to get the wet denim down his legs. As soon as they were past his boxers, he felt his dick fully harden, now unrestricted by the tight fabric. His boxers were left on and he kicked the jeans the rest of the way off.

He reached around her and shut the shower off, his arms wrapping around her and picking her up when she moved to look over her shoulder at the shower's knobs. She squeaked in surprise but wrapped her legs against him instinctively.

"Remember to keep your eyes closed, princess." She tucked her head into the crook of his neck. His hands grabbed her ass to hold her as he carefully stepped out of the shower and onto the towel he left on the floor. He made sure his feet weren't too wet before walking on the smooth, cold tiles to the tub, both of them already shivering without the warm water. He placed her on the ledge that surrounded the tub, kneeling before her.

"You should get in once I leave the room, I just have to check on something quick." She nodded as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

"Okay, but don't take long." She whispered, desire dripping from her voice. He gave her a kiss, and she held it for a moment before he broke away, smirking.

"Yes, m'lady." He made sure to let the door click behind him, signaling that he had left the room and she could open her eyes. He shivered in the cool air of the hotel room and felt himself soften a bit. He walked to the thermostat, increasing the temperature. Tikki and Plagg were cuddled together on the couch. She had nodded off and he looked like he was about to, but his eyes were still fixed on the flat screen.

As he walked back to the bathroom, a soft glow from the open doorway leading to the other suite caught his eye. Clothes and room service had been delivered. The clothes looked like they were the proper size, and the food was kept warm on the cart with silver domes over the plates. A small candle in a glass votive was casting the glow on the domes in the center of the cart. He smirked and took the votive, returning to the bathroom door. He knocked softly, signaling for her to close her eyes before he opened the door.

She faced away from him, her arms stretched over the edge of the tub farthest away from the door. With her hair pulled to the front, her smooth shoulders were bare to him, her back partially exposed, dipping beneath the water. He flicked the lights off and put the candle on the ledge of the tub opposite of her and slipped into the water.

"You can keep your eyes open, you shouldn't be able to see much of my face if I keep my back to this candle." He said softly as he leaned towards her, hands running from her elbows and up her arms to massage her shoulders. She sighed as he felt the knots start to leave her muscles. He massaged down her back, hands now underneath the water. Her head tilted back and she moaned when he hit the right spot on her lower back, and he felt himself fully harden again.

Like a magnet drawing him in, his lips dragged against her neck, breathing in the remnants of her shampoo and the cool rain. She hummed and pressed back against him more and his arms wound around her waist in response. He pulled her back with him through the water, her ass resting on top of his crotch. He ground up against the pressure instinctively, groaning at the friction.

"How...how long do you think we have?" She breathed out as his hands roamed her body, and when they landed on her breasts he gave them a squeeze.

"Until what?" He asked before sucking on the sweet spot on her neck.

"Ahhhhh..until Adrien's back." That took him aback for a second. He was so in the moment that he forgot the full scope of their situation. He sucked harder on her neck, and she wiggled in his lap in excitement.

"We have some time." Her hands reached behind her and into his hair, combing through his damp locks and gently scratching his scalp. He felt the echo of a purr warm his chest. His hand trailed down her body and slipped beneath her panties. She was already wet, he noticed it felt different from the water. She moaned deeply, her chest arching into his hand, her ass grinding down against him. He pushed up against the friction, sucking and kissing across her neck as he fingered her at a slow, even pace.

It didn't take long at all to push her over the edge. They hadn't been this intimate since the very first time, where that akuma forced their lust for each other to the surface. She came with a loud moan that echoed through the tiled room, the first time she could be as loud as she wanted. He loved pleasing her, and would do it every day if he could.

She turned slowly, straddling his lap, not fully resting her weight down yet. Her eyes were closed, afraid she would see too much even with the limited light.

He gently caressed her cheek, his fingers trailing to rest against the back of her neck as she pressed her forehead to his. For a moment they just breathed, enjoying the time they had to be like this.

She shivered from her chest being exposed to the air. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and encouraged her to sit, lowering her into the water. Her chest pressed against his again, and he was beginning to believe it was his newest favorite feeling. She laid her head on his shoulder, her arm reaching behind him to rest on the edge of the tub, as her fingers combed through the short hairs just above his neck.

Grabbing a washcloth and complimentary soap from the tray on the ledge, he lathered it in the warm water before running it across her back and over her arms. She hummed at the sensation. He felt so warm with her wrapped around him. There was such a content feeling that overwhelmed him whenever he was with her like this.

"I can't wait for when we can do this all the time." She murmured, almost reading his mind. He nodded, massaging the cloth against her lower back.

"One day soon, m'lady. We're going to figure out how to fix this whole mess." She sighed contently, taking the washcloth from him. He felt it run across his shoulders and over the areas of his back that she could reach.

"Some days I want to risk it all and look, you know." He smirked.

"You know I would love that." He said earnestly. She kissed his cheek as she pulled back to run the cloth over his chest with her eyes still closed. His arms circled and locked around her hips, holding her steady.

"You know that's dangerous, Chaton." She said softly, the cloth dipping under the water and then running up his body. He grabbed her wrist gently, stilling her. Her head shifted to look down and her eyes stayed closed.

" _How much_ are we going to sacrifice for saving the day? I don't know about you, but I never asked for this job." He couldn't conceal the pain in his voice, the frustration that they couldn't be happy.

"No, I didn't ask for this either. But being Ladybug, having Tikki with me, has changed my life." He thought about what his life would be like without Plagg there for the last six or seven years. He frowned. "If we weren't honored with the task of being superheroes, we wouldn't be together like this right now. Honestly, I don't think they could have picked anyone better for the job." She smiled softly. "So no, I can't be mad, and if being patient is what it takes to take home my prize for being a superhero, I can wait a bit longer."

He kissed her. What an amazing woman she was. Always selfless, always thinking of the big picture.

"You're right. No one could be a better Ladybug than you, Marinette."


	16. Chapter 16

Hello all! So happy to post another chapter, especially during these trying times.

I want to reach my heart out to each of you and let you know that we're going to make it through this, and my thoughts are with all of you to stay safe and healthy during this time. I hope this chapter, and this story serves as some entertainment as we all stay home.

I'm sure I'll be writing a little more with the extra time on my hands, but it might be another month before I post again, as I have other projects going on as well. I also want to take the free time to do a little something extra for my self that I don't have time for, organize my stuff, meditate, take a skillshare class or two. I hope you find and enjoy the free time as well.

If you ever, ever need someone to talk to because of all the social distancing, and the loneliness at home-I will always be here. Just PM me.

Love to you all. Thank you for your continued support! Hope you like the chapter, and I can't wait to hear your reviews and predictions on where the story is going!

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They finished washing each other, then moved on to scrubbing the mess of the rain out of each other's hair with some much needed shampoo. Once they were clean, he gave her a sweet kiss before lifting himself out of the tub and over the ledge, grabbing the towel from before and wrapping it around his waist.

"I should get going. He's bound to be back soon. Plus, I'm sure you're starving." Her stomach growled in response in the quiet room and they both laughed. He gave her one last kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight, Princess. I'll see you soon." He turned to grab his clothes on his way out, but was stopped by her grabbing his hand. He didn't turn to look at her, afraid she was looking at him. He squeezed her hand in response instead.

"Will you come back...and spend the night with me?" She asked softly.

He stilled, unsure of what she fully meant by that.

"You mean-"

"T-to sleep! Yes. To sleep. I don't want to be alone tonight, Chaton." He smiled at how shy she still was, even with the things they just did.

"Yes, I'll come back later. Now keep your eyes closed so I can grab my clothes." He checked over his shoulder just before he left. She sat with her back to him in the tub, trying to untangle her hair with her fingers. He smiled.

"Sometimes I think, deep down you know who I am." They both jumped at his comment. Did he really just say that out loud? He slipped out the door before she could turn.

Quickly, he dashed across the room and scooped a sleeping Plagg into his hand, careful to not wake him. Once he was inside of the second suite with the joining door closed, he placed the Kwami on one of the pillows on the bed.

Shivering at the cool air of this hotel room, he quickly changed out of his boxers and into the clothes from the gift shop, a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and a loose T-shirt with logos of the hotel and town promoted across the fabric. They would do the job. He doesn't tend to go commando, so it was a bit of an odd feeling, but it definitely beat soaking his fresh clothes with wet boxers.

He took some hangers provided in the closet and hung all of his wet clothes on the shower's glass. His suite looked similar to Marinette's, but it definitely had some modifications to fit inside a smaller space. It also didn't have as nice of a bathtub, which he was really glad they got to enjoy in the other room. Not bothering to turn up the heat- he wouldn't be spending the night in this room anyway, he gently knocked on the joining door.

"Marinette are you awake? I have some dry clothes for you." There was a bit of clatter before he heard her nervously reply.

"Y-yes, come in." She was on the couch in a fluffy hotel bathrobe, blushing. He could see Tikki's small antennas sticking out from the fluffy collar, surely snuggled against Marinette's neck. The Kwami is probably so relieved and they must be inseparable right now, he should have given them more time.

"Here, they're from the giftshop." He tried not to look directly at her as he handed her the clothes. He didn't want to creep her out by being so comfortable looking at her while she was barely dressed. "I ordered room service too, though it might not be hot anymore since it came when we were in the shower."

"W-what?" She asked nervously. He realized his blunder and coughed.

"W-well you took a shower too right? The room service came when I was in the shower in my suite." He awkwardly jabbed his thumb towards the other suite. Smooth. Real smooth man.

She bit her lip and nodded, shyly getting up with the clothes in her hands.

"I'll go change, you can bring the food over. Thanks for the clothes." In just a few minutes they were digging into the slightly warm food. It tasted amazing to their empty bellies and exhausted bodies.

"So do you remember what happened?" He asked as he ate another bite of french toast. She stared off into the distance, as if she was pulling the memory up.

"We...were in the shed. It was so _cold_." He nodded.

"We ended up falling asleep, and when I tried to wake you up...you wouldn't." He didn't mean to sound so scared as he said it. Her eyes widened at the realization that she was truly unconscious. He laughed nervously. "You really had me worried for a minute there, my-...Marinette." He took a drink. He needs to stop slipping up so much. It's hard to flip a switch between the two men she knew in her life.

"I'm sorry Adrien. I didn't mean to worry you." She said softly. He shook his head.

"There was nothing you could do. I'm just glad you're alright." Eating only took a few minutes. He smirked when he noticed she made sure to leave some sweets uneaten, most likely for Tikki. Adrien filled her in about the email from Chatel and the messages he sent to both of their families.

They agreed on what time to wake up in the morning. He swiped a small piece of cheese for Plagg and said goodnight, Marinette looking like she was about to pass out any second now that she ate.

Plagg awoke at him softly closing the joining door behind him, ears perking once he got a whiff of the cheese. Swiss, not Camembert, but it'll do.

"Well it's about time." He said, popping the cheese into his mouth. "There better be more." He mumbled as he chewed. Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Yes, there's a whole plate of cheese for you next door. Let's just get over there." Once he transformed he took the elevator to the roof as Chat, just to drop down the side of the hotel to Marinette's balcony. He was about to knock on the glass when he noticed she left the door slightly open. Stepping inside the now dark space that she had turned the lights off, he was met with Tikki in the living room.

"She's waiting for you in bed." The Kwami whispered. He nodded, feeling a warmth rise in his cheeks. He dropped the transformation and allowed Plagg to fly to the cart of food with Tikki, to have their own feast.

He first peeked through the opening crack in the set of double doors to make sure she wouldn't see his face. She was curled up under the blankets, facing the edge of her side of the bed.

"Marinette, I'm here." He whispered as he walked to the open side of the bed and slipped under the covers. She backed up against him and he met her in the middle of the bed, wrapping an arm around her waist.

He sighed at the warmth he felt as she pressed against him, snuggling to settle in. They were used to sleeping pressed up against each other in Marinette's tiny bed, but he'll admit it felt relieving that he wasn't at risk of falling off the edge. He slipped his arm underneath his head and the pillows.

"Goodnight, Princess." He whispered, sleep quickly taking him as soon as he allowed his eyes to close.

"Goodnight, Chat." She replied softly. His arm flexed around her. His body felt so heavy after such a long day. He was just on the verge of unconsciousness as he heard her soft comment.

"I love you, silly Kitty."

Warm. He felt comfortable. He was on his back, a pillow resting over his eyes, blocking out any light. He slowly became aware of each part of his body as he came into consciousness. One arm was stretched above his head, the other across the sheets, feeling a warm space fading.

It took him a moment to register the empty space in the bed, and as he started to remember where he was, he felt two delicate fingers hook into the waistband of his pajama pants and gently pull them down. His eyes shot open from under the pillow as he felt her hot breath over his hard dick that sprang free from his pants.

He always wondered what it would feel like, but he decided he could have never imagined the feeling as he felt a tentative, quick lick to the head. A surprised groan quickly left his lips in response, and he swore that he felt her _smile_ from her lips being so close to him.

Again without warning, she wrapped her smooth lips around the head, letting just that tip enter her hot, wet, amazing mouth. He gripped the sheets as he tried not to push his hips upward instinctively.

"M-Marinette?" The moan tumbled from his lips as she sucked gently, her delicate fingers holding onto his hips. As she bobbed her head up and down once to fully take him in, he felt the nerves flare up his body, not exactly chilling like goosebumps, but not exactly like a ticklish feeling either.

She took her time exploring, seeing what he liked, addressing her curiosity. His head was swimming from all the sensations. Her hands wandered as she sucked, and as they rubbed up his torso, he realized she was completely under the comforter.

He ripped the pillow off quickly to see that he was correct, and he could see her moving up and down under the fabric. It added an extra intensity to the sensation. She decided to see how deep she could take him then, and once her lips were almost touching his base, she held herself still. He felt himself hit the back of her throat, and sighed at the feeling of being fully encased in warm heat.

Not changing how deep he was, she swished her tongue along the underside of the shaft and then swirled it around the head.

"Ahhhh ohthatfeelssogood." He groaned. She pulled off of him with a gasp and pumped the bottom as she went to work on the tip, sucking as strong as she could. His hand dipped beneath the blanket and rested against her cheek, combing back a few stray hairs behind her ear.

He could not only see her bobbing up and down under the blanket, but he could now feel her too as she took him into her mouth and he wished he could see her face so badly. He could just imagine seeing her sweet lips around him, and her blue eyes looking up to him as she sucked-

"Marinette you should stop- _oh_." She ignored the request and sucked harder and faster. "S-seriously. I-I'm gonna-" He tried to gently lift her away, but she held on to his hips and increased the pace once more. She was going to- _Oh god._

Just the thought of it did him in, and she pushed him to the back of her throat as he came. She waited until he was done before pulling off of him and swallowing. Suddenly she sat upright, the comforter still covering her vision, and made a sound of distaste. He sat up quickly, fixing his pants.

"What's the matter?" He put his hands on her shoulders.

"Water?" She strangled out, not choking, more like she was holding her breath.

 _Oh._

In a flash he was back with a cold soda from the mini fridge. He didn't really care that the one can probably cost twenty bucks, the sugar and carbonation would help more than water. He opened it and gently put it in her hands which weren't covered by the blanket. Keeping her eyes shut tight, she took the blanket off and chugged the soda.

"You didn't have to do that, really." He said guiltily. She shook her head once half of the can was gone.

"I wanted to….You seemed to enjoy it too." She responded shyly. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks.

"It was... _amazing,_ but you don't need to do that for me to enjoy it...I never imagined it feeling so _good."_ A shy smile crossed her lips. He kissed her forehead.

"Good Morning." He said. She giggled.

"Morning Chat." He gave a kiss to her cheek and then started to trail more down her neck. She sucked in a breath as she bit her lip. He pulled her into his lap and she squealed.

"I think it's time I return the favor." He said seductively and then sucked on her neck, grabbing the edge of her shirt and pulling it up her body.

She moaned in response and tilted her head to the side to give him better access to the sweet spot on her neck, her hands gripping his shoulders.

Once he got her shirt off, he quickly flipped them so she was laying back on the bed, her legs wrapping around him. She gasped as she was caught off guard, and he could see a cute blush dusting her cheeks, the light from the sunrise filtering through the curtains.

Just then the blaring of her phone's alarm went off, and he hid his head in her neck, afraid she opened her eyes at the sound. She groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Ugh, can you go get that?" She asked. He reached across the bed to turn the alarm off. He was glad he didn't have to worry about his phone going off in the other suite- he didn't actually set his alarm, knowing he wouldn't be over there.

"I'm sorry Kitty, we'll have to pick this up once we're back home." He frowned.

"How come?" He asked.

"Adrien will be coming over once he's dressed, and we have to go meet with the rest of our class to go home." She still had her hands over her face to make sure she wouldn't look. He felt like slapping his forehead for almost forgetting.

"Alright. I'll see you for patrol tonight, right?" She nodded, her arms flopping back down onto the bed.

"Yeah, I hope I can get some sleep before then. I'm exhausted." He couldn't help but agree.

Less than an hour later, they were back on the train heading home. He let Marinette take the window seat, knowing he wouldn't be able to appreciate the scenery passing by the same way that he did on their way in. They had both agreed to try to get some rest for the train ride back.

He never fully slipped into unconsciousness given the uncomfortable position, but he was brought up a bit when his head fell against her shoulder. He felt her soft gasp against him, and then felt her head turn towards him. He was too exhausted to open his eyes or move. Delicate fingers threaded through his bangs a few times. It was so soothing. Each time her nails gently swept over his forehead and through the strands he was brought deeper and deeper into sleep.

His dream wasn't a good one.

He's had many dreams of when they would finally face Hawkmoth. How it would happen, who the villain who's tortured them for years could be. Now that Adrien knew Ladybug's identity, it was now Marinette in the dream who was caught by Hawkmoth, and this time he was holding a blade to her throat.

Chat fell to his knees in surrender, removing his Miraculous, ignoring Plagg's protest. His eyes never left Marinette's as the transformation dropped, her eyes first shocked at his decision, then growing wider at the realization.

"A-adrien?" She croaked. And with a wicked smile, Hawkmoth slit her throat, knowing he was always going to do so. Adrien screamed as she fell to the ground lifeless, a pool of blood seeping out beneath her, her eyes still wide, staring into his soul.

Tears blurred his vision as he willed a Cataclysm to his hand without the help of a Miraculous, and charged with a gut wrenching scream until he hit the bastard in the chest, bringing him to the ground. He stepped on Hawkmoth's chest as he pulled the butterfly broach off, revealing a face to him.

...his own face.

He stumbled back mystified, and tripped over Marinette's body, falling on his back. Eyes wide taking in the scene before him, he gripped his hair and screamed-

"NO!" He shot up from under his blankets, sitting up in bed breathing heavily. Plagg flew into his vision in an instant.

"Kid, you alright? Just breathe. Deep breaths." Adrien concentrated on the Kwami's voice until he got his breathing under control. "Was it the same dream?" Plagg asked, floating down until he rested on Adrien's knee.

Adrien nodded, tears streaming down his face. In the five weeks since their field trip to the park, he's had the nightmare seven times, this being the third one just this week. They were getting closer together.

"Do you want to go see her?" The Kwamii asked. Adrien shook his head getting up from the bed.

"I do, but the sun will rise soon and I'll be seeing her in just a few hours. We have a big day ahead of us." Plagg nodded and floated back to his pillow on the bed, settling in. Adrien went about taking a shower, knowing he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, even though he's barely gotten any this week.

As he rested his forehead against the cool tiles, he let the hot spray relax his muscles and tried to absorb whatever slice of rest it gave him. It was finally the day of their fashion show as it was close to the end of the semester. He really hoped it wouldn't snow today. As much as he's enjoyed wearing the hat Marinette made him on patrols lately, snow would just make the entire day more difficult, and he just didn't have the energy for it.

He finally let himself pay attention to the nerves running through him in anticipation of the fashion show, set to happen early this evening. There was a lot to do between meeting their models at school, taking care of the last minute fitting, traveling to the Louvre and getting ready backstage for not only their professor to watch their work come down the runway for a grade, but many fashion icons of the world. The word of their assignment of honoring the heroes of Paris spread through the semester and almost every big name was supposed to be there tonight.

Including his father.

He shook off a chill, insisting to blame it on the water starting to cool down, signaling he should finish his shower.

He shouldn't be worried about Gabriel Agreste attending. He sees his father at least once a day. But for him to be judging his work, next to Marinette's, it put a rock of uneasiness at the bottom of Adrien's gut.

"I gave you two extra shots today. You look like you didn't sleep much either." Marinette said gently as she drove to the school, patting his knee gently twice before putting her hand back on the wheel, her eyes never leaving the road.

"You have no reason to be nervous." He said, taking a generous sip from his latte. Damn it was strong. He should nurse this as long as he could, it would be the only thing keeping him going today.

"Everyone is going to be there, even your dad. How can I not be nervous?" She rambled quickly, letting her anxiety show. He rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Because your design is amazing. Best in the class." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"According to you." She said, playful but unconfident.

"According to an Agreste. We're known to have good taste." He winked at her when she glanced over at his comment, and she couldn't help but smile.


	17. Chapter 17

Hello all,

So sorry it's been like forever (like two months) since I've posted. Here I am hoping to produce more for you all as you sit at home, and I got into a funk myself. It's been a mix between the days blending together, and knowing how close to the end of this story we're getting. I have most of this planned in my head, but I think I'm hesitating because I don't want it to end at the same time T-T. I love this journey I'm taking with you all, and I can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter. I promise to try my best to not make you all wait too long before the next one!

I've had this surge of inspiration since my editor and another of my good friends paid for a Cameo of Christina Vee (American voice actress for Marinette/Ladybug who mentioned about how she was told about this fanfiction by my friends in her shoutout to me. She said to send it over to her but I am WAY too self-conscious for that, and I'm sure she was just being nice (she always is super nice) but it made me so happy and excited to write again, so I finished up this chapter and went straight into writing the next.

Thank you all for your support along the way throughout this journey. I know I say this almost every chapter I post, but I can't express how much you all help me to continue on, I honestly never thought I could do this, and your reviews and follows and favorites are what keep me going.

I hope you all and your families are doing alright during this time.

Let me know what you think! Enjoy!

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The day was moving way too fast for Adrien to handle. It could be because he's imagined how it would go so many times, or that he's running on little to no sleep. He held back a big yawn as he readjusted the seam at the hip on his jumpsuit, his model Delphine holding her arm above her head to give him access.

"I seriously like your designs the best." Marinette's model, Quincy whispered as Marinette adjusted his collar, face just inches from his. Delphine agreed, the models practically back to back in the fitting room, as all the students filled the space while they did their last minute fittings. A flare of jealousy rose in Adrien for a moment but he ignored it. Marinette had to be close to another man right now for the fitting. It was silly to be possessive.

"Okay class and models, time to move to the bus!" Chatel called into the room, not bothering to walk through the door. Everyone hurried to take what they needed. Quincy offered his arm to Delphine for balance and she took it, elbow hooked with his. They walked just ahead of Marinette and Adrien as they walked towards the bus.

The models had similar body structures to Marinette and Adrien, given they were chosen to match their measurements, though Quincy had a bit more muscle on him and Delphine was a bit more busty than Marinette. Delphine let her fingers glide through her newly dyed locks. Adrien and Marinette were pleasantly surprised when their models came in that morning with their hair dyed in their respective superhero's colors, wanting to give their all to the show. Both models' eyes were brown and their skin tones didn't match the duo's, but the hair colors definitely helped the pieces. Marinette almost cried there and then, exclaiming they couldn't have gotten better models. Glancing over to her, he could tell she was nervous as she stared ahead at their models, biting her lip.

"They look amazing, don't worry." He assured her. She didn't look away from the models, her eyes calculating.

"But is it cohesive enough? I'm so nervous Adrien, this is like my first real fashion show in front of big wheels." He grabbed her wrist, rubbing soothing circles on the backside with his thumb.

"Yes. Your piece is beautiful. We made sure they have cohesion. Chatel loves them, she said so the other day. You're going to impress everyone tonight, even my father. Because that's what you deserve, Marinette." She glanced over to him then, eyes wet with unshed tears. He smiled at her and helped her onto the bus.

There was a lot of commotion going on at the Louvre, people moving everywhere setting up all kinds of different things. He spun around in reaction to someone bumping into him. It was hard to focus on one thing with so much happening at once. Some students were sewing their models into their pieces because they didn't have time to finish. Chatel was going over the schedule with the event coordinator. It was a lot to take in at once. Adrien and Marinette left their models in a lounge so they could change into their formal wear for the evening.

Adrien smiled as he adjusted his tie. Marinette had given it to him as a gift the day before. The silver pattern across the black fabric gave just enough flare to the black suit he was wearing. Plagg whistled as he flew around his head.

"Lookin' good, heartbreaker." Adrien rolled his eyes, smirk across his face. His new polished shoes squeaked as he walked back to the lounge. Marinette had beat him back and was being ushered to sit by Delphine, who wanted to fix her hair and make up. He was blown away at the beautiful sleeveless black dress she wore, a simple bateau cut neckline, knee length flowy skirt, waisted and edged with the same fabric as his tie, and an open back with two satin bows just before the waist. It was just so…her. Her craftsmanship was just so superb, and he could not wait for her to get the recognition she deserves tonight.

Adrien and Quincy chatted as Marinette's hair was effortlessly styled in a high bun, tendrils delicately framing her face. They took some selfies together before Marinette and Adrien joined the growing crowd enjoying cocktail hour.

It was easy to spot his father, a parameter around him kept clear by aid of Natalie and the Gorilla. Adrien couldn't resist keeping his hand at the small of Marinette's back as they walked, staying close while moving through the crowd.

"Good evening Father." Adrien said politely as he stopped a few steps away. Marinette curtsied as she said hello. His father's calculating stare seemed anything but welcoming.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng, it's been quite a while. Did you make this piece you're wearing?" She nodded, a little too nervous for words. Gabriel stood and walked around Marinette, Adrien taking a step back.

Marinette caught eyes with him once Gabriel couldn't see her face. He met her scared expression with an encouraging smile.

"This is quite nice. I see you made a matching tie for my son as well. You'll be gaining the interest of quite a few people here tonight." He stopped in front of her, looking once more at the neck line. "Though I'm surprised you didn't choose earrings that dangled a bit." Marinette's hand flew to her ear to touch the earring.

"Ah, well. These are my favorite. I never take them off." She nervously replied, caught off guard. Gabriel's expression didn't change as he mulled over her words.

"That's...interesting." He replied, light but stern. It gave Adrien's stomach an unsettling lurch which grew into a rock as each second passed.

"Adrien! It's so good to see you!" Oh no. He wouldn't mistake that voice anywhere.

They turned to see Lila Rossi sauntering towards them in a deep burgundy gown, that was way too revealing. He felt a chill wash down him as she hugged him a little too strongly.

"L-Lila…. I thought you were away modeling for my father?" She pulled away from him, not bothering to greet Marinette.

"I was. But your dad wanted me to be here just for this event, so he flew me in from Los Angeles." _For this? Why-_

"For our class's final presentation? What's so special to bring you here?" Marinette asked, mirroring Adrien's curiosity. Lila blatantly ignored her. He could see Ladybug, not Marinette, ignore Lila's childish antics and release a sigh.

He supposed that might be why Ladybug was so rude to Lila back when she first came to their school, posing as owning the fox Miraculous. Marinette knew it was a flat out lie, and that Lila was using it to get close to him.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as Lila hooked her arm through his own, wrapping herself around his arm. He could feel her press her chest into his bicep and pinned his arm against her stomach.

"Come, Adrien. Let's catch up and greet some fashion designers who are meant to be here." She said, obviously throwing shade towards Marinette. Adrien refused to move with her and pulled his arm back, taking Marinette's hand and threading his fingers through hers, gripping it firmly.

"I'll pass." He pulled Marinette with him as he walked away without another word.

They didn't talk as they weaved through the crowd and back to the restricted area for the fashion students. Once they were in the clear, Adrien dropped Marinette's hand, scratching the back of his neck embarrassed.

"Sorry." Her smile was small and shy.

"It's fine. Thanks for choosing to stay with me." He shook his head and held both of her hands.

"I'll always choose you." For just a moment, everything melted away and it was just the two of them, smiling like goofballs at each other.

"You guys ready?" They awkwardly broke apart as Delphine and Quincy walked over to them. Adrien fought down the heat rising to his cheeks.

"Uh- yeah, totally." Marinette nodded, her cheeks tinged pink.

They met with the rest of the design students and their models backstage as the host's voice called over the loud speakers.

"Thank you to all the people who are tuning in from home! We're so glad we were able to get the show televised on such short notice! Hopefully Ladybug and Chat Noir will make an appearance later to check out all the designs inspired by them!" The host's voice called over the speakers and the crowd applauded. Adrien glanced over to Marinette who was biting her lip nervously.

" _Hey Chat? Will you make an appearance at the fashion show tomorrow night? And say that Ladybug is away on official business or something? It's kind of hard to be two people at the same time." He sighed._

" _Tell me about it." Looking up to the night sky through Marinette's skylight. She picked her head up off of his chest to get a better look at him._

" _What was that?" She asked innocently._

" _Uh- Tell me about- the details. I'll try my best."_

Adrien bit his lip now. How the hell was he supposed to get away and transform when he was presenting with Marinette?

The upbeat instrumental of one of Laura Nightingale's songs started to play, and the first of the models disappeared through the curtain, making their descent down the catwalk. The audience applauded and a moment later the design students disappeared through the curtain as well, applause deafening their ears again.

Group after group took their moment on the stage, and their time was coming up quickly. Shoulder to shoulder with Marinette, he could feel her shaking. His hand shyly reached over the small distance and threaded his fingers through hers. She gripped it back, smiling thankfully that she had something to hold on to as Delphine and Quincy stepped through the curtain.

They carefully peaked through the slit as they saw the couple walk down the catwalk, a large dot of black and green respectively on each of the model's backs, tying the pieces together. Quincy was the first to make it back. Adrien gently pushed Marinette on to Quincy's waiting arm and the model swept the nervous designer away down the runway. Delphine wasn't far behind to grab him and they were gliding down side by side, the light bright in his face and warm on his skin. At the end of the runway, the four of them squished on the edge for some photos as the crowd applauded, the two models in the middle and the designers flanking each end.

They walked back down the catwalk, Quincy and Marinette leading the way. Once they were backstage he felt a bit cooler. The models cheered and high fived each other and then their designers.

"That was great! I swear we had the most noise out there!" Delphine exclaimed hugging Marinette, who exhaustedly returned it, still reeling from being in front of so many highly known designers.

"I think so too, Marinette. Your design was-" Adrien stopped as he caught view of his father, Natalie and Lila walking towards the exit.

"Why is your dad leaving?" Marinette asked, confused. Adrien shook his head.

"I...don't know." He left Marinette backstage as he dashed through the crowd, trying to catch up to them. Pushing politely through so many people, he didn't make it in time before they left the building. By the time he got back to Marinette and the others, his phone was ringing with a call from Natalie.

"Natalie? What's going on? Why did you leave? Did he even see us go on stage?" Adrien asked a little too quickly, hand gripping into a fist.

"Adrien. You need to come home right now. Your bodyguard is looking for you to drive you home. Find him." Natalie's professional voice was quick to the point.

" _What?_ No, why would I leave? I just presented my work and I need to talk to so many people here. _Why did you leave?_ "

"Your father demands you come home immediately.-" Adrien hung up the call. Fuck this. He tried to not let his anger get ahold of him by breathing deeply. He felt a delicate hand lightly press between his shoulder blades.

"Adrien?" Marinette walked around until she was in front of him, peering up into his eyes, his bangs hanging like a protective curtain around them as he bowed his head. He couldn't unclench his fists.

"He left. He just _left._ He wants me to come home too for some undefined reason. I have no idea if he even _saw_ our work." She gently put her hands over each fist, coaxing them to let go.

"I'm sure he had a good reason, and I'm pretty sure I saw him in the crowd when we were up there. It's going to be okay-"

"Thank you everyone for attending this viewing party of these amazing design student's work. Unfortunately Ladybug and Chat Noir did not make an appearance tonight."

Shit.

He was so distracted, he never looked for an opportunity to leave.

It broke his heart to see the disappointed look in Marinette's eyes. He put his hand on her shoulder, trying to make her look at him.

"Listen, Marinette-"

Suddenly, a swarm of crimson butterflies flew into a building through a door backstage that was wedged open.

He grabbed Marinette and pulled her out of the way of the swarm as it quickly dispersed over the entirety of the Louvre. The butterflies hit almost everyone backstage including Delphine and Quincy. He gently pushed Marinette in the direction of where they changed.

"Go. I'll try to get whoever's left to safety." She nodded, eyes already strong and calculating and dashed down the hallway. Yes, go. Ladybug needs to be first on the scene.

 _Chat won't be far behind you, M'lady._

He almost tripped jumping out of the way of a beam of light, Delphine and Quincy hot on his trail. He ran around the stage dodging attacks coming from everywhere, and found a few people in the audience starting to be noticed by akumatized villains. Adrien dashed forward.

"June? Is that you?" He exclaimed. The woman looked to him confused as she held her baby, May, in her arms with August standing at her side holding her hand.

"I'm sorry, have we met? I know you're Adrien Agreste, but how do you know who I am?" June asked, confused. Adrien stared at her dumbfounded for a second. He was broken out of his thoughts as May tried to reach for him. "Ah! I'm so sorry! She's not usually comfortable with strangers." June apologized. Adrien gave a nervous smile, feeling August tug on his pants.

"Ah, well-" Something crashed nearby. He scooped August into his arms and grabbed June's hand, pulling her with him towards the exit.

"Later. We need to get you out of here!" It was a bit of an obstacle course, but they finally made it outside, a few other unturned civilians scattered around the area as well.

"You all need to keep moving and make your way home!" He shouted calmly at the small group. He cringed as he heard a crash and car alarm go off nearby. "Remember to keep calm and happy thoughts in your mind like the drills say." Hawkmoth has attempted to make a few power moves before- where he's used Catalyst to turn into Scarletmoth and akumatize multiple civilians that are upset at the same time in public places. Paris has taken many precautions to deter the villain from making future detrimental moves, such as akuma alarms, emergency texts, and instruction videos and drills of what to do during an attack.

The civilians nervously nodded and dispersed, trying to keep as calm as they could be. Adrien led June and the kids in the direction he knew their home was, keeping on the lookout. It looks like a great deal of Paris was transformed, villains everywhere he looked terrorizing civilians. There were sounds of destruction everywhere. He led the family carefully, making sure to avoid the line of sight of akumatized victims.

"What do we have here? Adrien Agreste trying to play hero?" He glared at the shadows leading into an alley between two buildings.

"Lila. You can fight him, you know. Don't let him take control of you." Adrien said sternly, holding August closer to him and pulling June's hand until she shifted to be behind him. Lila laughed maniacally.

"And pray tell, why would I listen to a stupid boy who chose a looser wannabe designer over me?" Adrien frowned.

"Come on. It-it wasn't like that." He said weakly, not knowing how he was going to turn the situation.

"Volpina!" Ladybug's voice echoed through the darkness of the alley as she swung down and kicked Lila's back, landing with a foot between her shoulder blades, effectively holding her down.

"Get off of me!" Volpina spat venomously. Ladybug picked her head up to address Adrien and June.

"Hurry, get the children to safety. I'll hold her down- ...Adrien? What are you doing here?" Ladybug asked flabbergasted. Adrien blushed, scratching the back of his neck nervously. Just as he was going to reply with some kind of excuse, he saw a slew of akumatized villains charging at Ladybug.

"L-Look out Ladybug!" Adrien shouted. It just all happened so fast. There wasn't enough time to put August down and shove her out of the way. A big guy, in samurai armor, blew a huge gust of wind at Ladybug. Caught off guard, she couldn't hold her ground. Her body flew into one of the buildings creating the alley behind her and Volpina, her head smacking into the corner of the bricks with a loud _crack._

Adrien's heart plummeted into his stomach as June screamed, May crying at her mother's distress. Tears stung in Adrien's eyes as he held August closer to him, not allowing the curious toddler to turn around and see Ladybug's limp body on the ground.

The villains grabbed Volpina and ran. Adrien didn't care. He put August down as calmly as he could, and dashed to Ladybug. He dropped to his knees at her side, gently pushing her bangs out of her eyes so he could see the damage. There was blood in her hair, a stream down her cheek and her neck until it reached her suit.

"Ladybug, can you hear me? Please…" Adrien said helplessly, tears thick in his throat. He could see her chest slowly rise up and down in shallow breaths, but she didn't respond. He tried to ignore May's screams as he leaned closer to her, whispering just so she could hear him.

"Marinette, please be okay. Please." At her name, he saw her brow furrow for just a moment. Relieved, he set about scooping her into his arms, the dead weight a bit easier to handle when in a magical suit. He looked up to June. August was clinging to her leg, unable to look away from Ladybug.

"She's okay. I'm going to get her somewhere safe. You need to get home as fast as possible, I'm sorry I can't escort you." June nodded and grabbed August's hand, trying to free her leg from him so she could walk. She ended up scooping him into her other arm, balancing most of his weight on his hip.

"We'll be okay, right bud?" She said to August, winking at him. "We're strong just like Ladybug and Chat Noir, right?" August looked over to Adrien as his mother said the superhero's names and Adrien couldn't help but give the kid a reassuring smile, nodding him to go on.

"Please be careful." Adrien said, starting to turn and walk down the alley.

"You too! Thank you!" June's voice called after him as he was enveloped by the shadows. As soon as he was hidden from the world, he sprinted down the alley, muttering a 'claws out' under his breath. In a moment he was vaulting himself and his love in his arms over rooftops.

"You're going to be okay, it's going to be okay." He murmured as tears finally overflowed his vision and ran down his mask and cheeks. In the distance, the hospital came into his sight. He landed on the roof within minutes, unsure what he was going to do. He bit his lip as he looked down the side of the building, noticing a flagpole jutting out from the bricks, just under a window. He jumped down to it gracefully, holding Ladybug securely in his arms.

He squinted for a moment as the fluorescent lights from inside bounced off the white floor and stung his eyes. It was a break room for the doctors and nurses. There were two nurses, one blonde, one brunette, sitting at the table on their break, a coffee mug in each of their hands as they were idly chatting. The brunette's back was to him while the blonde was facing the window. If she just looked this way…

Her green eyes caught sight of him as her coworker was saying something. They widened in shock, as she noticed the unconscious girl in his arms. He held her gaze as he motioned to the roof with his chin, using his baton on the windowsill to vault both of them back up before the other nurse could finish turning around to see him.

It was less than five minutes later that the nurse burst through the door on the roof leading to the stairwell, out of breath.

"Sorry, there isn't an elevator that goes to the roof, is she okay? What happened?" She said in between gasping breaths of air. He tried to speak as calmly as possible, but his voice came out garbled, throat still thick from crying.

"S-she...hit her head, right on the corner of a building. She….she's bleeding. Please help…" He rambled out anxiously. He wasn't sure if he was even understandable at this point, but the nurse nodded, brow scrunched with worry, but eyes set and determined. She turned on her heel and held the door open for him.

"Come, we'll put her in an isolated wing and I'll get a doctor to come examine her." Once through the door, Chat let her lead the way down numerous flights of stairs. His body numbly moved on its own by sheer adrenaline, his mind unable to focus on anything other than the girl in his arms. She has to be okay, she has to be okay.

The nurse was telling the truth, the wing was empty, clear tarps draped over numerous areas as if they were awaiting construction. Her words faintly came to him as he followed her down the hall.

"We just closed this wing last week because of construction plans. We haven't cleared out the equipment yet, but no one should be coming around here for at least another week." She brought him to a typical hospital room with two beds, a curtain drawn between them, a bathroom door on the opposite wall from the beds. He gently laid her down on the bed closest to the door.

"I'll be right back with a doctor. Hang tight." The nurse said quickly before dashing out of the room, Chat hearing her sneakers squeak against the linoleum as she ran as fast as she could.

He bit his lip as he looked down at her unconscious figure, her breaths still shallow. He wrapped his arms around his middle as he crossed the room to the window, passing the other bed.

He felt the tears well up in his eyes once again. Contrary to his hopes this morning-

It had started to snow.


End file.
